Retrospective detection by negative contrast electron microscopy of faecal viral particles in free‐living wild red squirrels (<i>Sciurus vulgaris</i>) with suspected enteropathy in Great Britain

Everest, David J.; Stidworthy, Mark F.; Milne, Elspeth; Meredith, Anna; Chantrey, Julian; Shuttleworth, Craig M.; Blackett, Tiffany; Butler, Helen; Wilkinson, Michael H. F.; Sainsbury, Anthony W.

doi:10.1136/vr.c4111

Cited by 29 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Isolates were identified by their colonial morphology, Gram staining and their biochemical properties as determined using the appropriate analytical profile index (API-BioMerieux); suspect mycotic lesions were sent to the Mycology Reference Laboratory, Bristol. Lesions of suspected viral aetiology were submitted to Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) Weybridge for examination by negative contrast stain transmission electron microscopy (TEM) [10]. Fresh spleen and faecal samples were screened for adenovirus infection by TEM and polymerase chain reaction analysis (PCR) [11].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Causes of mortality and pathological lesions observed post-mortem in red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) in Great Britain

Simpson¹,

Hargreaves²,

Butler³

et al. 2013

BMC Vet Res

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BackgroundThe red squirrel population in Great Britain has declined dramatically in recent decades, principally due to squirrelpox. Concern exists that red squirrels may become extinct nationally and, as there has been limited research in to diseases other than squirrelpox, this study aimed to identify additional causes of mortality.ResultsPost-mortem examinations on 163 red squirrels found dead on Isle of Wight (IoW) England, in Scotland and at other locations in Great Britain showed that 41.7% (n = 68) were killed by road traffic and 9.2% (n = 15) by predators, principally domestic cats and dogs. The overall male/female ratio was 1.08/1. Fleas were recorded on 34.9% of IoW squirrels and on 43.8% of Scottish squirrels but sucking lice and ixodid ticks were only seen on Scottish squirrels. Bacterial infections were significant, particularly in association with respiratory disease (n = 16); two squirrels died of Bordetella bronchiseptica bronchopneumonia. Cases of fatal exudative dermatitis (n = 5) associated with a lukM-positive clone of Staphylococcus aureus occurred only on the IoW. Toxoplasmosis (n = 12) was also confined to IoW where it was responsible for almost one tenth (9.5%) of all deaths. Hepatozoonosis was common, especially in IoW squirrels, but was not considered a primary cause of mortality. Hepatic capillariasis affected four IoW squirrels and one from Scotland. Fungal infections included oral candidiasis, adiaspiromycosis and pulmonary phaeohyphomycosis. Neoplastic conditions diagnosed were: pulmonary carcinoma, gastric spindle cell tumour, renal papillary adenoma and trichoepithelioma. Epidermal hyperplasia of unknown aetiology was seen in squirrels showing crusty lesions of the ear pinnae on IoW (n = 3) and Brownsea Island (n = 1), associated in two cases with cutaneous wart-like growths. Miscellaneous diagnoses included chylothorax, electrocution, intussusception, suspected cholecalciferol rodenticide poisoning and foetal death and mummification. No cases of squirrelpox were diagnosed.ConclusionsRed squirrels in Britain suffer premature or unnatural mortality due to a number of conditions in addition to squirrelpox, many of which result, directly or indirectly, from human activities: road traffic trauma, pet predation, toxoplasmosis, trap injuries, rodenticide poisoning and electrocution accounted for 61% of all recorded mortality in this study. Red squirrels are also affected by several diseases of unknown aetiology which merit further research.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Causes of mortality and pathological lesions observed post-mortem in red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) in Great Britain

Simpson¹,

Hargreaves²,

Butler³

et al. 2013

BMC Vet Res

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“…A number of factors have been suggested to explain this decline, but it is now becoming apparent that the most important influence is the grey squirrel ( Sciurus carolinensis ), which is the subclinical vector for squirrelpox virus (SQPV), a disease with high mortality in red squirrels. Other less common viruses, such as adenovirus and rotavirus, have been described recently (Everest and others 2009, 2010). These can also be associated with significant mortality and have an adverse impact on current conservation efforts.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Rotavirus in a wild English red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) identified by electron microscopy

Everest¹,

Duff

Higgins³

2011

Veterinary Record

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Rotavirus is well recognised as a significant cause of juvenile enteritis in many domesticated mammalian species (Khafagi and others 2010). It typically infects villous enterocytes, which, when shed, results in varying degrees of villous atrophy and hypersecretory diarrhoea. Greenwood and Sanchez (2002), using serological tests developed for laboratory mouse pathogens, detected seroposivity to murine rotavirus in a number of grey squirrels culled from north Wales. The villous atrophy seen in the case described here would be consistent with active rotavirus infection as identified by TEM, but its overall clinicopathological significance in an adult red squirrel is open to doubt. The combination of rotavirus infection and coccidial enteritis may, however, have been sufficient to explain the animal's demise.

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“…RVA has also been detected in several wild and zoo animals (Baumeister et al, 1983;Coria-Galindo et al, 2009;Eugster et al, 1978;Evans, 1984;Everest et al, 2009Everest et al, , 2010Everest et al, , 2011Hamir et al, 1990;He et al, 2013;Kim et al, 2014;Linhares et al, 1986;Marcoppido et al, 2011;Tzipori et al, 1976), and it has been indicated that wild animals may be involved in the natural infection cycle of RVA and also represent a potential zoonotic risk (Abe et al, 2010;Esona et al, 2010;Okadera et al, 2013). Pets are considered to represent a higher potential zoonotic risk than wild animals since they share habitats with humans, thus providing a rationale to investigate the prevalence of RVA in pets to evaluate the risk of transmission of RVA from pets to humans.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Isolation and characterization of a novel type of rotavirus species A in sugar gliders (Petaurus breviceps)

Okadera

Abe

Ito

et al. 2016

Journal of General Virology

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To estimate the risk of interspecies transmission of rotavirus species A (RVA) from exotic pets to other mammalian species, the prevalence of RVA in sugar gliders (Petaurus breviceps) was investigated. RVAs were detected in 10 of 44 sugar gliders by reverse transcription (RT)-seminested PCR. These viruses were classified as G27P [3] and G27P[36] genotypes, with G27 and P[36] being new genotypes as assigned by the Rotavirus Classification Working Group. To characterize sugar glider RVA in detail, one strain, RVA/SugarGlider-tc/JPN/SG385/2012/ G27P[36] (SG385-tc), was isolated. All of the genes of the strain were classified as new genotypes (G27-P[36]-I19-R10-C10-M9-A20-N11-T13-E17-H12). The enterotoxin domain in NSP4, which is important for the induction of diarrhoea, was conserved between SG385-tc and previously reported mammalian strains, suggesting the potential of sugar glider RVA to cause diarrhoea in mammalian species. In fact, seven out of nine suckling mice inoculated orally with 3.9610 4 f.f.u. of strain SG385-tc had diarrhoea and the 50 % diarrhoea-inducing dose (DD 50 )of strain SG385-tc in suckling mice was 1.2610 4 f.f.u. Our findings suggest that sugar glider RVA is infective to and possibly pathogenic in other mammalian species.

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Retrospective detection by negative contrast electron microscopy of faecal viral particles in free‐living wild red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) with suspected enteropathy in Great Britain

Cited by 29 publications

References 15 publications

Causes of mortality and pathological lesions observed post-mortem in red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) in Great Britain

Causes of mortality and pathological lesions observed post-mortem in red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) in Great Britain

Rotavirus in a wild English red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) identified by electron microscopy

Isolation and characterization of a novel type of rotavirus species A in sugar gliders (Petaurus breviceps)

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