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Feline respiratory disease complex (FRDC) is a highly prevalent syndrome in cats that often result in fatal outcomes. FRDC etiology is complex, and often, multiple viral and bacterial pathogens are simultaneously associated with disease causation. There is limited information about the role of co-infections in pathogenesis and the current prevalence of pathogens in North America. We aimed to conduct a study using technical advances in molecular diagnosis and statistical modeling analysis to elucidate the occurrence of pathogens and how co-infections affect disease severity. We attained information from three diagnostic laboratories in North America regarding the occurrence of Bordetella bronchiseptica, Chlamydia felis, Mycoplasma, Felid alphaherpesvirus 1 (FeHV-1), feline calicivirus (FCV), and influenza A, along with age, seasonality, sex, and clinical signs. We also evaluated the role of co-infections in disease severity. These pathogens were also investigated in clinically normal cats (control). The most detected pathogens were Mycoplasma, FCV, and FeHV-1. Most pathogens were detected in the control group, highlighting the challenge of interpreting positive testing results. Co-infections of Mycoplasma and FCV, as well as Mycoplasma and FeHV-1, were important predictors of disease severity. Age, sex, and season had a minor impact on pathogen occurrence. This study provides new insights into FRDC and underlines the relevance of diagnostic panels to screen for a range of pathogens, providing knowledge for timely diagnosis and therapeutic interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Canine respiratory coronavirus (CRCoV) is one of the main causative agents of canine infectious respiratory disease (CIRD), an illness whose epidemiology is poorly understood. We assessed the prevalence, risk factors, and genetic characterization of CRCoV in privately owned dogs in the Southeastern United States. We PCR-screened 189 nasal swabs from dogs with and without CIRD clinical signs for 9 CIRD-related pathogens, including CRCoV; 14% of dogs, all diagnosed with CIRD, were positive for CRCoV, with a significantly higher rate of cases in younger dogs and during warmer weather. Notably, the presence of CRCoV, alone or in coinfection with other CIRD pathogens, was statistically associated with a worse prognosis. We estimated a CRCoV seroprevalence of 23.7% retrospectively from 540 serum samples, with no statistical association to dog age, sex, or season, but with a significantly higher presence in urban counties. Additionally, the genomes of 6 CRCoVs were obtained from positive samples using an in-house developed targeted amplicon-based approach specific to CRCoV. Subsequent phylogeny clustered their genomes in 2 distinct genomic groups, with most isolates sharing a higher similarity with CRCoVs from Sweden and only 1 more closely related to CRCoVs from Asia. We provide new insights into CIRD and CRCoV epidemiology in the Southeastern United States and further support the association of CRCoV with more severe cases of CIRD. Additionally, we developed and successfully tested a new amplicon-based approach for whole-genome sequencing of CRCoV that can be used to further investigate the genetic diversity within CRCoVs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Notwithstanding the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, influenza virus infection still represents a global health concern in terms of hospitalizations and possible pandemic threats. The objective of next-generation influenza vaccines is not only to increase the breadth of response but also to improve the elicitation of an effective and robust immune response, especially in high-risk populations. To achieve this second objective, the administration of adjuvanted influenza vaccines has been considered. In this regard, the monitoring and characterization of the antibody response associated with the administration of adjuvanted vaccines has been evaluated in this study in order to shed light on the kinetic, magnitude and subclass usage of antibody secreting cells (ASCs) as well as of circulating antigen-specific serum antibodies. Specifically, we utilized the DBA/2J mouse model to assess the kinetic, magnitude and IgG subclass usage of the antibody response following an intramuscular (IM) or intraperitoneal (IP) immunization regimen with AddaVax-adjuvanted bivalent H1N1 and H3N2 computationally optimized broadly reactive antigen (COBRA) influenza recombinant hemagglutinins (rHAs). While the serological evaluation revealed a homogeneous kinetic of the antibody response, the detection of the ASCs through a FluoroSpot platform revealed a different magnitude, subclass usage and kinetic of the antigen-specific IgG secreting cells peaking at day 5 and day 9 following the IP and IM immunization, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A mortality event among recently captured feral donkeys (Equus asinus) occurred in south-central Utah in 2016. The deaths were sporadic, and clinical signs were indicative of respiratory disease, likely associated with an infectious etiology. Ten of 13 donkeys autopsied had moderate-to-severe interstitial fibrosing pneumonia, and one had pyogranulomatous pneumonia. Consensus PCRs directed toward the DNA polymerase and DNA packaging terminase subunit 1 for herpesviruses were performed followed by sequencing of the PCR amplicons and phylogenetic analysis. Asinine herpesvirus 4 (AsHV4) and 5 (AsHV5) were consistently identified in lung tissues of affected donkeys. No other herpesviruses were identified, and herpesviral DNA was not detected in lung tissues of 2 donkeys without evidence of respiratory disease. The detection of asinine gammaherpesviruses may have been associated with the lesions described. AsHV4 and AsHV5 have been reported in previous studies as novel gammaherpesviruses based on sequences obtained from donkeys with interstitial pneumonia and marked syncytial cell formation. Our findings suggest that the association of asinine gammaherpesviruses with respiratory conditions in equids deserves further attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Pasteurellaceae family has been associated with fatal diseases in numerous avian species. Several new taxa within this family, including Bisgaard taxon 40, have been recently described in wild birds, but their genomic characteristics and pathogenicity are not well understood. We isolated Bisgaard taxon 40 from four species of seabirds, including one sampled during a mass, multi-species mortality event in Florida, United States. Here, we present a comprehensive phenotypic and genetic characterization of Bisgaard taxon 40 and comparative genomic analysis with reference strains from the Pasteurellaceae family, aiming at determining its phylogenetic position, antimicrobial susceptibility profile, and identifying putative virulence factors. In silico multilocus sequence-based and whole-genome-based phylogenetic analysis clustered all Bisgaard taxon 40 strains together on a distinct branch separated from the other members of the Pasteurellaceae family, indicating that Bisgaard taxon 40 could represent a new genus. These findings were further supported by protein similarity analyses using the concatenation of 31 conserved proteins and other taxonomic approaches such as the percentage of conserved protein test. Additionally, several putative virulence factors were identified, including those associated with adhesion (capsule, ompA , ompH) and colonization (exbD , fur , galU , galE , lpxA , lpxC , and kdsA) of the host and a cytolethal distending toxin (cdt), which may have played a role in disease development leading to the mortality event. Considerably low minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were found for all the drugs tested, in concordance with the absence of antimicrobial resistance genes in these genomes. The novel findings of this study highlight genomic and phenotypic characteristics of this bacterium, providing insights into genome evolution and pathogenicity. We propose a reclassification of these organisms within the Pasteurellaceae family, designated as Mergibacter gen. nov., with Mergibacter septicus sp. nov. as the type species. The type strain is Mergibacter septicus A25201T (=DSM 112696). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adenoviruses are common pathogens infecting a wide range of vertebrates. Few cetacean adenoviruses have been described in the literature, and their pathogenicity is still unclear. Using PCR-based viral and bacterial pathogen surveillance in Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort seas bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) legally harvested 2012–15 during Alaskan aboriginal subsistence hunts, six of 59 bowhead whales (10%) tested positive for adenovirus DNA in the spleen. We found a high degree of sequence divergence from other mastadenoviruses, suggesting these may represent a novel species, tentatively named bowhead whale adenovirus. The sequences detected are distinct from adenoviruses previously identified in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena), forming two distinct clades in the cetacean hosts. The clinical impact is unclear, since no histopathologic evidence of adenovirus-associated disease was found. Furthermore, detection of adenovirus DNA in the spleen, contrary to other cetacean adenoviruses detected in the intestinal tract, may suggest a broader tissue tropism. Our study demonstrates adenovirus infection in bowhead whales and the usefulness of molecular diagnostics to discover and genetically characterize novel viruses in marine mammals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feline morbillivirus (FeMV) was isolated for the first time in 2012 with an association with chronic kidney disease (CKD) suggested. This study aimed at investigating in cats from southern Italy FeMV prevalence and risk factors for exposure to FeMV, including the relationship with CKD; sequencing amplicons and analyzing phylogeny of PCR positive samples. Blood serum, K3EDTA blood and urine samples from 223 cats were investigated. Ten carcasses were also evaluated. FeMV RNA was detected in 2.4% (5/211) blood and 16.1% (36/223) urine samples. One carcass tested positive by qPCRFeMV from kidney, urinary bladder, and submandibular lymph nodes. Antibodies against FeMV were detected in 14.5% (28/193) cats. We followed up 27 cats (13 FeMV positive cats) and documented in some cases urine shedding after up to 360 days. Older and foundling cats and cats living in rescue catteries, were more frequently infected with FeMV. A significant correlation between FeMV and higher serum creatinine values or low urine specific gravity was found. FeMV positivity was significantly associated with retroviral infection, and the presence of some clinical signs apart from CKD clinicopathological markers. Our study highlights the possibility of a link between FeMV exposure and CKD and a general impairment of feline health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feline morbillivirus (FeMV) was identified for the first time in stray cats in 2012 in Hong Kong and, since its discovery, it was reported in domestic cats worldwide. Although a potential association between FeMV infection and tubulointerstitial nephritis (TIN) has been suggested, this has not been proven, and the subject remains controversial. TIN is the most frequent histopathological finding in the context of feline chronic kidney disease (CKD), which is one of the major clinical pathologies in feline medicine. FeMV research has mainly focused on defining the epidemiology, the role of FeMV in the development of CKD, and its in vitro tropism, but the pathogenicity of FeMV is still not clear, partly due to its distinctive biological characteristics, as well as to a lack of a cell culture system for its rapid isolation. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge of FeMV infection, including genetic diversity of FeMV strains, epidemiology, pathogenicity, and clinicopathological findings observed in naturally infected cats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Feline morbillivirus is a newly discovered paramyxovirus infecting domestic cats. Its pathogenetic role in domestic cats is still debated, however some evidences suggest a potential involvement of this novel feline virus in the pathogenesis of feline chronic kidney disease. In this study, clinical data of cats infected by morbillivirus were retrospectively reviewed and compared with data obtained from healthy cats and cats affected by chronic kidney disease. The results of the present study suggest that this infection can be associated with the presence of a sub-clinical kidney damage and with different grades of renal dysfunction in cats younger than those typically affected by chronic kidney disease. Feline morbillivirus (FeMV) is a newly discovered paramyxovirus infecting domestic cats and its role in the pathogenesis of feline chronic kidney disease (CKD) has been suggested, however not confirmed. The primary aim of the study was to evaluate the renal damage associated with FeMV infection in cats. In this retrospective study, clinical and clinicopathological data were compared among 14 FeMV naturally infected, 21 CKD and 22 healthy cats. FeMV positive cats had serum chemistry analytes and main urine chemistry results similar to the healthy subjects. FeMV positive cats had significantly decreased urine specific gravity (median 1054, range 1022–1065) and urine creatinine (median 227.23 mg/dL, range 83.02–489.75) when compared with healthy cats (median 1067, range 1040–1080, p < 0.001; median 406.50 mg/dL, range 195.32–575.58; p < 0.001, respectively). Urine protein:creatinine ratio (UPC) results of FeMV and CKD were not different (median 0.20, range 0.08–1.03; median 0.23, range 0.10–0.80, respectively), however UPC results were significantly increased in both groups, if compared with healthy cats (median 0.1, range 0.04–0.250, p < 0.01). Based on clinical data, serum creatinine concentration, urine specific gravity and UPC results, CKD was suspected by clinicians in 3/14 FeMV cats. Urine protein sodium-dodecyl-sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) in 10/13 (77%) FeMV cats indicated a tubular pattern, with a decrease of uromodulin and an increase in the number and intensity of low molecular weight proteins. FeMV infection can be associated with different grades of renal dysfunction ranging from mild tubular proteinuria with less concentrated urine to azotemia in cats younger than those typically affected by CKD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Prevalence of FeMV in feline colonies was higher with respect household cats. • FeMVs of this study belong to the genotype 1 and segregate into two clusters. • Isolation has been confirmed to be difficult and time consuming. • No statistically significant correlation was found between FeMV infection and TIN. • Virus histochemistry revealed immunoreactivity in lungs, kidneys and brain sections. Feline morbillivirus (FeMV) is an emerging morbillivirus first described in cats less than a decade ago. FeMV has been associated with chronic kidney disease of cats characterized by tubulointerstitial nephritis (TIN), although this aspect is still controversial and not demonstrated with certainty. To investigate FeMV prevalence and genomic characteristics, an epidemiological survey was conducted in a total number of 127 household cats originating from two Italian regions, Abruzzi and Emilia-Romagna. A total number of 69 cats originating from three feline colonies were also enrolled for the study. Correlation with TIN was investigated by employing a total number of 35 carcasses. Prevalence of FeMV RNA was higher in urine samples collected from cats of colonies (P = 31.8%, CI 95% 22.1–43.6) compared to household cats (P = 8.66%, CI 95% 4.9–14.9) and in young and middle-aged cats while prevalence of FeMV Abs was higher in old cats. Sequences obtained straight from infected biological samples, either partial or complete, cluster into two clades within FeMV genotype 1, distantly related to FeMV genotype 2. Immunohistochemistry analysis of kidney sections of FeMV RNA positive cats revealed immunoreactivity within epithelial cells of renal tubuli and inflammatory cells. However, statistically significant association between FeMV and renal damages, including TIN, was not demonstrated (p= 0.0695, Fisher exact test). By virus histochemistry performed with FeMV-negative feline tissues and a FeMV isolate, tropism for different cellular types such as inflammatory cells residing in blood vessels of kidney and brain, airway epithelial cells, alveolar macrophages and to a lesser extent, the central nervous system, was demonstrated. Additional studies are warranted in order to establish viral tropism and immune response during the early phases of infection and to disentangle the role of FeMV in co-infection processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feline morbillivirus (FeMV) is a newly discovered paramyxovirus infecting domestic cats and its role in the pathogenesis of feline chronic kidney disease (CKD) has been suggested, however not confirmed. The primary aim of the study was to evaluate the renal damage associated with FeMV infection in cats. In this retrospective study, clinical and clinicopathological data were compared among 14 FeMV naturally infected, 21 CKD and 22 healthy cats. FeMV positive cats had serum chemistry analytes and main urine chemistry results similar to the healthy subjects. FeMV positive cats had significantly decreased urine specific gravity (median 1054, range 1022-1065) and urine creatinine (median 227.23 mg/dL, range 83.02-489.75) when compared with healthy cats (median 1067, range 1040-1080, P < 0.001; median 406.50 mg/dL, range 195.32-575.58; P < 0.001, respectively). Urine protein:creatinine ratio (UPC) results of FeMV and CKD were not different (median 0.20, range 0.08-1.03; median 0.23, range 0.10-0.80, respectively), however UPC results were significantly increased in both groups, if compared with healthy cats (median 0.1, range 0.04-0.250, P < 0.01). Based on clinical data, serum creatinine concentration, urine specific gravity and UPC results, CKD was suspected by clinicians in 3/14 FeMV cats. Urine protein sodium-dodecyl-sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) in 10/13 (77%) FeMV cats indicated a tubular pattern, with a decrease of uromodulin and an increase in the number and intensity of low molecular weight proteins. FeMV infection can be associated with different grades of renal dysfunction ranging from mild tubular proteinuria with less concentrated urine to azotemia in cats younger than those typically affected by CKD., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Suid herpesvirus-1 (SHV-1), a DNA virus of the family Herpesviridae, causes a severe and fatal disease in a wide range of mammals. Here, we report the whole-genome sequence of an SHV-1 isolated in Italy in 2014 from the brain of a hunting dog that suffered from an acute and severe disease., (Copyright © 2016 Pizzurro et al.)