Carnivore Parvovirus Ecology in the Serengeti Ecosystem: Vaccine Strains Circulating and New Host Species Identified

Abstract

Carnivore parvoviruses infect wild and domestic carnivores, and crossspecies transmission is believed to occur. However, viral dynamics are not well understood, nor are the consequences for wild carnivore populations of the introduction of new strains into wild ecosystems. To clarify the ecology of these viruses in a multihost system such as the Serengeti ecosystem and identify potential threats for wildlife conservation, we analyzed, through real-time PCR, 152 samples belonging to 14 wild carnivore species and 62 samples from healthy domestic dogs. We detected parvovirus DNA in several wildlife tissues. Of the wild carnivore and domestic dog samples tested, 13% and 43%, respectively, were positive for carnivore parvovirus infection, but little evidence of transmission between the wild and domestic carnivores was detected. Instead, we describe two different epidemiological scenarios with separate routes of transmission: first, an endemic feline parvovirus (FPV) route of transmission maintained by wild carnivores inside the Serengeti National Park (SNP) and, second, a canine parvovirus (CPV) route of transmission among domestic dogs living around the periphery of the SNP. Twelve FPV sequences were characterized; new host-virus associations involving wild dogs, jackals, and hyenas were discovered; and our results suggest that mutations in the fragment of the vp2 gene were not required for infection of different carnivore species. In domestic dogs, 6 sequences belonged to the CPV-2a strain, while 11 belonged to the CPV-2 vaccinederived strain. This is the first description of a vaccine-derived parvovirus strain being transmitted naturally. IMPORTANCE Carnivore parvoviruses are widespread among wild and domestic carnivores, which are vulnerable to severe disease under certain circumstances. This study furthers the understanding of carnivore parvovirus epidemiology, suggesting that feline parvoviruses are endemic in wild carnivores in the Serengeti National Park (SNP), with new host species identified, and that canine parvoviruses are present in the dog population living around the SNP. Little evidence of transmission of canine parvoviruses into wild carnivore species was found; however, the detection of vaccine-derived virus (described here for the first time to be circulating naturally in domestic dogs) highlights the importance of performing epidemiological research in the region.

Genetic characterization of Carnivore Parvoviruses in Spanish wildlife reveals domestic dog and cat‐related sequences

“…Only eight coding mutations were spread among our CPV sequences, but they were not consistent with a concrete species, region or time period. as was reported in other wild ecosystems (Calatayud et al, 2019).…”

“…Only eight coding mutations were spread among our CPV sequences, but they were not consistent with a concrete species, region or time period. Further, identical CPV and FPV nucleotide sequences were described in different host species belonging to three different families ( Canidae, Felidae and Mustelidae ), indicating that mutations in the vp2 domain may not be necessary for the jump among sympatric species, as was reported in other wild ecosystems (Calatayud et al, ).…”

Fatal canine parvovirus‐2 (CPV‐2) infection in a rescued free‐ranging Taiwanese pangolin ( Manis pentadactyla pentadactyla )

“…Therefore, the current pangolin protoparvovirus is considered a newly identified protoparvovirus that could affect wild and domestic Canidae and Felidae populations in Taiwan. From another perspective, the adaptation of protoparvovirus to infect and cause disease in pangolins may increase the selection pressure on protoparvovirus and thereby contribute to the mutation of protoparvovirus, new strain development and alteration of the pathogenicity ultimately causing immunization failure for captive wild animals and companion animals (Calatayud et al, ; Guo et al, ; Hueffer & Parrish, ). A better understanding of protoparvovirus infections in wildlife is important to determine the evolution of protoparvoviruses, evaluate the risk of viral transmission between wild and domestic animals, and advance a control strategy for protoparvovirus.…”

Ecology and Infection Dynamics of Multi-Host Amdoparvoviral and Protoparvoviral Carnivore Pathogens

“…While FPV-like viruses, including MEV, have been circulating in wild and domestic animals for decades, CPV-2 emerged as a dog pathogen during the late 1970s as a variant of FPV or of a closely related virus [16]. These viruses have been identified in a wide array of hosts, such as domestic cats and dogs, wildcats, lynx, cougars, raccoons, skunks, wolves, foxes, coyotes, and many others [16,[28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35]. Host specificity is determined in part by the affinity of viral capsid proteins to the cellular receptor (transferrin receptor type 1) and single amino acid mutations in the capsid protein can determine whether a host is susceptible to the virus [36,37].…”