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Dalton KP, Balseiro A, Juste RA, Podadera A, Nicieza I, Del Llano D, González R, Martin Alonso JM, Prieto JM, Parra F, Casais R. Clinical course and pathogenicity of variant rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus in experimentally infected adult and kit rabbits: Significance towards control and spread. Vet Microbiol 2018; 220:24-32. [PMID: 29885797 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2018.04.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2018] [Revised: 04/27/2018] [Accepted: 04/28/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
RHDVb has become the dominant RHDV on the Iberian Peninsula. A better understanding of its pathogenicity is required to aid control measures. Thus, the clinical course, humoral immune response, viraemia and kinetics of RHDV-N11 (a Spanish RHDVb isolate) infection in different tissues at both viral RNA and protein levels were studied in experimentally infected young and adult rabbits. The case fatality rate differed between the two age groups, with 21% of kits succumbing while no deaths were observed in adults. Fever and viremia were strongly associated with death, which occurred 48 h post infection (PI) too fast for an effective humoral immune response to be mounted. A significant effect on the number of viral RNA copies with regard to the variables age, tissue and time PI (p < 0.0001 in all cases) was detected. Histological lesions in infected rabbits were consistently more frequent and severe in liver and spleen and additionally intestine in kits, these tissues containing the highest levels of viral RNA and protein. Although no adults showed lesions or virus antigen in intestine, both kits and adults maintained steady viral RNA levels from days 1 to 7 PI in this organ. Analysis revealed the fecal route as the main dissemination route of RHDV-N11. Subclinically infected rabbits had detectable viral RNA in their faeces for up to seven days and thus may play an important role spreading the virus. This study allows a better understanding of the transmission of this virus and improvement of the control strategies for this disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- K P Dalton
- Instituto Universitario de Biotecnología de Asturias, Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Edificio Santiago Gascón, Universidad de Oviedo, Campus El Cristo, 33006, Oviedo, Spain.
| | - A Balseiro
- SERIDA, Servicio Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario (SERIDA), Centro de Biotecnología Animal, 33394, Gijón, Asturias, Spain.
| | - R A Juste
- SERIDA, Servicio Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario (SERIDA), Centro de Biotecnología Animal, 33394, Gijón, Asturias, Spain.
| | - A Podadera
- Instituto Universitario de Biotecnología de Asturias, Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Edificio Santiago Gascón, Universidad de Oviedo, Campus El Cristo, 33006, Oviedo, Spain.
| | - I Nicieza
- Instituto Universitario de Biotecnología de Asturias, Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Edificio Santiago Gascón, Universidad de Oviedo, Campus El Cristo, 33006, Oviedo, Spain.
| | - D Del Llano
- Instituto Universitario de Biotecnología de Asturias, Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Edificio Santiago Gascón, Universidad de Oviedo, Campus El Cristo, 33006, Oviedo, Spain.
| | - R González
- SERIDA, Servicio Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario (SERIDA), Centro de Biotecnología Animal, 33394, Gijón, Asturias, Spain.
| | - J M Martin Alonso
- Instituto Universitario de Biotecnología de Asturias, Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Edificio Santiago Gascón, Universidad de Oviedo, Campus El Cristo, 33006, Oviedo, Spain.
| | - J M Prieto
- SERIDA, Servicio Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario (SERIDA), Centro de Biotecnología Animal, 33394, Gijón, Asturias, Spain.
| | - F Parra
- Instituto Universitario de Biotecnología de Asturias, Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Edificio Santiago Gascón, Universidad de Oviedo, Campus El Cristo, 33006, Oviedo, Spain.
| | - R Casais
- SERIDA, Servicio Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario (SERIDA), Centro de Biotecnología Animal, 33394, Gijón, Asturias, Spain.
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