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Multi-host pathogens emerging and re-emerging at the wildlife-domestic animal interface affect wildlife management and conservation. This is the case of canine distemper virus (CDV), a paramyxovirus closely related to human measles virus and rinderpest virus of cattle. With an area of 10,603 km 2 , Asturias region in Atlantic Spain is a hotspot of carnivore diversity, which includes the largest Eurasian brown bear (Ursus arctos arctos) population and one of the largest wolf (Canis lupus) populations in south-western Europe. In 2020-2021, we recorded mortality due to distemper in four carnivore species including three mustelids (Eurasian badger Meles meles, European marten Martes martes and European polecat Mustela putorius) and one canid (red fox, Vulpes vulpes). Clinical signs and pathology were similar across species and consistent with the emergence of a highly pathogenic viral strain, with CDV antigen mainly located in the central nervous system, lungs, spleen and lymph nodes. A molecular study in eight wild carnivore species, also including the Iberian wolf, Eurasian brown bear, American mink (Neovison vison) and stone marten (Martes foina), revealed 19.51% (16/82) of positivity. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that CDV belonged to the previously described European lineage. A retrospective serosurvey (2008-2020) showed a high seroprevalence of CDV antibodies (43.4%) in 684 analyzed badgers, indicating a long-term though not stable viral circulation in this multi-host community. The possible triggers of the 2020-2021 outbreak and the implications for carnivore management and conservation are discussed., (© 2021 The Authors. Transboundary and Emerging Diseases published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Canine adenovirus type 1 (CAdV-1) causes infectious canine hepatitis (ICH) and has recently been described as a cause of death among endangered populations of European brown bear (Ursus arctos arctos) in the Cantabrian mountain range in Asturias, Spain. Sympatric wild and domestic carnivores can act as reservoirs of the virus and likely spread it into the environment and subsequently transmit it to brown bears. The present work investigates the prevalence and geo-temporal distribution of CAdV-1 among free-ranging wolves (Canis lupus) in Asturias from 2009 to 2018, during which three fatal cases of ICH were reported among brown bears in the region. A total of 149 wolves were analysed in this study, of which 21 (14%) were found to have CAdV-1 DNA based on real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) of spleen samples. Prevalence of the virus was similar between males and females. All but one of the 20 CAdV-1-positive animals of estimable age were younger than 2 years, and only one of the 46 adult animals (>2 years) tested positive. Prevalence was highest in the western area of Asturias and during 2010 and 2011. Our results confirm that CAdV-1 is circulating in Asturian free-ranging wolves, supporting their possible role as virus reservoirs and sentinels in the region of this emerging disease in brown bears., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Canine adenovirus type 1 (CAdV-1) is responsible for infectious canine hepatitis. The disease has been described in captive American black bear (Ursus americanus) and European brown bear (Ursus arctos arctos), with just one recently reported case in a cub of a free-ranging brown bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) from Alaska. The aim of this work is to summarize findings related to presence and associated mortality of CAdV-1 in 21 free-ranging Cantabrian brown bears (Ursus arctos arctos) submitted to necropsy in Asturias and Castilla y León (northwestern Spain) from 1998 to 2018. On the basis of the anatomopathological findings and laboratory results three free-ranging brown bears died due to infectious canine hepatitis, which is to our knowledge the first description of death due to this disease in free-ranging bears in Europe. Gross lesions consisted of petechial haemorrhages and congestion in different internal organs, haemorrhagic fluid in internal cavities, friable and yellowish liver and thickening of gall bladder. Microscopic lesions were observed mainly in liver, kidney and brain and consisted of multifocal necrosis of cells with presence of basophilic intranuclear inclusions. Immunohistochemical (IHC) and real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) techniques were used to assess the presence of CAdV-1 in paraffin-embedded liver samples. Viral antigens were detected by IHC labelling within hepatocytes and Küppfer cells in the three animals. The presence of viral DNA was confirmed by qPCR in one of them. In order to evaluate the circulation of CAdV-1 in brown bears, a retrospective study was performed using both IHC and qPCR techniques in 11 and 12 additional brown bears, respectively. An extra brown bear was found positive by IHC. This study shows that CAdV-1 surveillance of brown bears and sympatric carnivores should be considered as major concern for the monitoring the population evolution throughout time in this endangered species., (© 2018 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.)

Between January and June 2013, nine stillborn bovine foetuses with congenital malformations from nine cattle herds located in Salamanca (central Spain) were detected. Necropsy was performed on two calves. Pathological lesions together with molecular genetics and serological results allowed a definitive diagnosis: first confirmation of Schmallenberg virus (SBV) infection in cattle in Spain. SBV was detected in different tissues and organic fluids in both animals including blood, suggesting a possible viraemia. The umbilical cord was also positive for the presence of SBV in both animals. The former tissue provides an easy to obtain sample and might be a sample of choice when necropsy is carried out in the field., (© 2013 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.)