The canine adenovirus type 2 (CAdV-2) in Italian wolves: a preliminary study

Hystrix, the Italian Journal of Mammalogy

article

Carmela Musto¹  Elena Carra²  Maria Cristina Fontana²  Giuseppe Merialdi²  Romolo Caniglia³  Elena Fabbri³  Andrea Balboni¹  Mara Battilani¹  Antonino Siclari⁴  Francesca Ciuti⁵  Giulia Mancuso⁶  Caterina Riverso⁶  Giuseppe Lucifora⁶  Mauro Delogu¹ 

[1] Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, University of Bologna;Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell’Emilia-Romagna Bruno Ubertini;Area per la Genetica della Conservazione BIO-CGE;National Park of the Aspromonte, Gambarie di S. Stefano in Aspromonte, Reggio Calabria;Freelance;Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno

关键词: canine adenovirus type 2;    Canis lupus italicus;    Italian wolf;    wildlife;   

DOI  :  10.4404/hystrix-00448-2021

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Associazione Teriologica Italiana

【 摘 要 】

The canine adenovirus type 2 (CAdV-2) is associated with the infectious tracheobronchitis commonly called “kennel cough”, cosmopolitan in dogs but little explored in gray wolves. Our goals were (i) to evaluate the presence and circulation of CAdV-2 in free-ranging Italian wolves (Canis lupus italicus), through the analysis of spleens and tongues collected from 56 carcasses sampled in three Italian regions between August 2017 and July 2020, and (ii) to support the validity of a matrix such as the tongue, which was never used before. Samples were screened for the presence of CAdV-2 DNA using both PCR and real-time PCR assay. Positive results were related to sampling year, location, sex, age, genetic determination of species, and matrices tested. Three male wolves (5.4%) tested positive in tongue samples, demonstrating that the tongue is an excellent matrix for the detection of CAdV-2. To the best of our knowledge, no studies were performed to evaluate the usability of tongue samples to detect CAdV-2 DNA in grey wolves or other wild animals. The number of wolves tested positive suggests that, during the studied years, the circulation of CAdV-2 in Italian wolves showed a low frequency, consistent with irregular introductions of the virus by dogs or other wild carnivores in these populations. This preliminary study provides new data on the ecology of CAdV-2 in Italian wolves, although future studies are needed to fully understand its real circulation at a national scale, its pathogenetic role in gray wolves, and its risk of transmission to other wild carnivores.

【 授权许可】

CC BY-NC