背景:伪狂犬病病毒(PRV)的唯一天然宿主是Suidae家族(Susscrofascrofa)的成员。在哺乳动物中,这种感染通常是致命的,通常会导致严重的神经系统疾病。这项研究描述了自由放养的意大利狼(Canislupusitalicus)中的四例Aujeszky病。在意大利,狼是受严格保护的物种,人口正在膨胀。
方法:三只狼(狼A,B,和C)在意大利北部的一个区域公园中发现,在意大利中部发现了一个(狼D)。狼A和D在发现时还活着,并表现出致命的感染,伴有癫痫发作和呼吸困难,几小时后就死了.WolfB在下巴下出现抓挠性病变,右耳垂脱离,狼C被部分吃掉了。狼显示肝充血,弥漫性肠炎,中度心包积液,严重的双侧肺炎,脑弥漫性充血.诊断检查包括病毒学分析和能够引起严重神经系统症状的毒性分子的检测。所有四只狼的伪狂犬病病毒(PrV)检测呈阳性。分析的序列被放置在意大利进化枝1中,该进化枝分为两个子进化枝,\"a\"和\"b\"。狼A的序列,B,C与B子分支中的其他意大利序列密切相关,最初是从野猪和猎犬中获得的。WolfD的序列位于同一分支内,与属于第4组的法国猎犬序列密切相关。
结论:结果显示目前在野猪和自由放养的意大利狼中存在PrV毒株。来自四只狼的PrVUL44序列的遗传表征证实了与野猪和狩猎犬的序列的密切关系。这一事实支持与野猪中高PrV存在的流行病学联系,以及通过食用受感染的野猪尸体或间接传播而在狼中感染的可能性。据我们所知,这项研究是在意大利北部和中部的自由放养的意大利狼中首次检测到伪狂犬病病毒。
BACKGROUND: The only natural hosts of Pseudorabies virus (PRV) are members of the family Suidae (Sus scrofa scrofa). In mammals, the infection is usually fatal and typically causes serious neurologic disease. This study describes four Aujeszky\'s disease cases in free-ranging Italian wolves (Canis lupus italicus). In Italy, the wolf is a strictly protected species and is in demographic expansion.
METHODS: Three wolves (Wolf A, B, and C) were found in a regional park in Northern Italy, and one (Wolf D) was found in Central Italy. Wolf A and D were alive at the time of the finding and exhibited a fatal infection with epileptic seizures and dyspnoea, dying after a few hours. Wolf B presented scratching lesions under the chin and a detachment of the right earlobe, whilst Wolf C was partially eaten. The wolves showed hepatic congestion, diffuse enteritis, moderate pericardial effusion, severe bilateral pneumonia, and diffuse hyperaemia in the brain. The diagnostic examinations included virological analyses and detection of toxic molecules able to cause serious neurological signs. All four wolves tested positive for pseudorabies virus (PrV). The analysed sequences were placed in Italian clade 1, which is divided into two subclades, \"a\" and \"b\". The sequences of Wolf A, B, and C were closely related to other Italian sequences in the subclade b, originally obtained from wild boars and hunting dogs. The sequence from Wolf D was located within the same clade and was closely related to the French hunting dog sequences belonging to group 4.
CONCLUSIONS: Results showed the presence of PrV strains currently circulating in wild boars and free-ranging Italian wolves. The genetic characterisation of the PrV UL44 sequences from the four wolves confirmed the close relationship with the sequences from wild boars and hunting dogs. This fact supports a possible epidemiological link with the high PrV presence in wild boars and the possibility of infection in wolves through consumption of infected wild boar carcasses or indirect transmission. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first detection of Pseudorabies virus in free-ranging Italian wolves in northern and central Italy.