Molecular epidemiology of coronavirus in faeces of Brazilian calves and Peruvian camelid herds

Abstract

Introduction: The enteric disorders represent a serious hazard for bovine and camelid breeding. The aim of this study was to examine the frequency of detection and molecular characteristics of enteric coronavirus (CoV) infections in cattle, alpaca, and llama herds bred in familybased farms in Brazil and Peru. Methodology: Stool samples were collected from calves from Brazil and camelids from Peru for detection and characterization of CoV by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and sequence analysis. Results: 46.5% (47/101) samples from calves and 26.8% (70/261) from alpaca tested positive for CoV. All strains belong to lineage A1 of the Betacoronavirus genus. Phylogenetic analysis showed high identity between CoV strains detected in calves and alpacas. Conclusions: This study characterised CoV strains from dairy cattle herds in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and indicated that this virus is spread among the state herds. The results also indicate widespread circulation of CoV among the alpacas of Cuzco, Peru.

Enteric Viral Infections among Domesticated South American Camelids: First Detection of Mammalian Orthoreovirus in Camelids

“…There are few reports on enteric viral infections in SACs, particularly in Peru [ 6 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 17 , 18 ]. The majority of published studies were conducted in research centers with semi-intensive production systems with good nutritional and health management.…”

“…Our data showed a wide circulation of the surveyed viruses among alpacas and llamas in the three studied communities. CoV and RVA have already been identified as important diarrheal pathogens in neonatal SACs [ 6 , 10 , 17 , 22 ]. MRV, on the other hand, has been associated primarily with mild respiratory and enteric infections in mammals.…”

“…Previous studies conducted in the Andean areas of the Peruvian highlands have shown the circulation of CoV in alpacas on farms with semi-intensive systems and in communities with extensive systems [ 6 , 8 , 22 ], with infection rates of 18.3% to 53.3%. On the other hand, in alpacas reared under semi-intensive systems in research centers, CoV was detected in 26.8% of animals [ 17 ]. The variation in rates observed in different studies probably reflects differences in methodologies, the breeding system employed, and the sanitary conditions of each location.…”

Characterization of Winter Dysentery Bovine Coronavirus Isolated from Cattle in Israel

“…BCoV infection is initiated by HE and S protein attachment to target tissues and both are important for BCoV pathogenesis [11][12][13]. The hypervariable region of the S protein is used to determine the genetic variability and evolution of BCoV viruses, and S protein sequence alignments are important in evaluating novel variants of BCoV strains [14][15][16][17][18][19].…”

Co-Circulation of Multiple Coronavirus Genera and Subgenera during an Epizootic of Lethal Respiratory Disease in Newborn Alpacas (Vicugna pacos) in Peru: First Report of Bat-like Coronaviruses in Alpacas

“…CoVs detected in Peruvian and other South American alpacas have been associated with enteritis caused by bovine-like coronavirus strains [ 10 , 11 , 37 , 38 ], identified as a β -CoV of the Embecovirus subgenus. In North America, viruses belonging to the β -CoV genus (subgenus Embecovirus ) and α -CoV (subgenus Duvinacovirus ) have been reported in alpacas with enteric and respiratory diseases, respectively [ 13 , 39 , 40 ].…”