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Identification of Aichivirus in a Pet Rat (Rattus norvegicus) in Italy

Authors :
Flora Alfano
Maria Gabriella Lucibelli
Francesco Serra
Martina Levante
Simona Rea
Amalia Gallo
Federica Petrucci
Alessia Pucciarelli
Gerardo Picazio
Marina Monini
Ilaria Di Bartolo
Dario d’Ovidio
Mario Santoro
Esterina De Carlo
Giovanna Fusco
Maria Grazia Amoroso
Source :
Animals, Vol 14, Iss 12, p 1765 (2024)
Publication Year :
2024
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2024.

Abstract

We investigated the occurrence of eight potential zoonotic viruses in 91 exotic companion mammals from pet shops in southern Italy via real-time PCR and end-point PCR. The animals were screened for aichivirus, sapovirus, astrovirus, hepatitis A, noroviruses (GI and GII), rotavirus, circovirus, and SARS-CoV-2. Among the nine species of exotic pets studied, only one rat tested positive for aichivirus. The high sequence similarity to a murine kobuvirus-1 strain previously identified in China suggests that the virus may have been introduced into Italy through the importation of animals from Asia. Since exotic companion mammals live in close contact with humans, continuous sanitary monitoring is crucial to prevent the spread of new pathogens among domestic animals and humans. Further investigations on detecting and typing zoonotic viruses are needed to identify emerging and re-emerging viruses to safeguard public health.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
20762615
Volume :
14
Issue :
12
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Animals
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.20092d62035740819efb5edae4e35c4d
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14121765