An Update on the Known Host Range of the Brazilian Vaccinia Virus: An Outbreak in Buffalo Calves.

Mauricio Teixeira Lima,Erna Geessien Kroon,Graziele Pereira Oliveira,Antonio Flavio Medeiros Dantas,Carla Lopes De Mendonça,Jonatas Santos Abrahao,José Augusto Bastos Afonso,Rodolfo José Cavancanti Souto

doi:10.3389/fmicb.2018.03327

Mauricio Teixeira Lima, Erna Geessien Kroon + Show 6 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2018.03327

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Abstract

Even nearly forty years after the eradication of smallpox, members of the Poxviridae family continue to be the focus of an increasing number of studies. Among these studies, prominently stands vaccinia virus, an orthopoxvirus that is associated with bovine vaccinia outbreaks. Although more frequently associated with infections in cattle and humans, the host range of vaccinia virus is not restricted only to these hosts. There are several instances of molecular and serological evidence of circulation of vaccinia virus among wildlife species. In addition, viral isolation has confirmed a broad spectrum of vaccinia virus hosts. In this report, we provide a brief update on the host range of Brazilian vaccinia virus, and present a case description of an outbreak in domestic buffalo calves from Northeastern Brazil that corroborates previous serological and molecular studies. Furthermore, in the present study, vaccinia virus has been isolated for the first time in buffaloes, and referred to as vaccinia virus Pernambuco (VACV-PE). Phylogenetic reconstruction was based on A56R clustered VACV-PE with vaccinia virus isolates belonging to group 1 Brazilian vaccinia virus. Furthermore, the vaccinia virus genome was detected in the milk of a lactating cow, which thereby revealed a pathway for future studies on the possible impact of vaccinia virus on buffalo milk and milk products. Taken together, these results provide the first description of clinical disease caused by vaccinia virus in buffaloes in South America. They also raise new questions about the chain of transmission of this virus.

Highlights

Forty years after the eradication of smallpox, many species of genus Orthopoxvirus (OPV) are still relevant and have a considerable impact on human and veterinary health (Essbauer and Meyer, 2010)
Orthopoxvirus-specific PCR, targeting the C11R gene or A56R genes showed that fragments of the tongue lesions of calves and the milk of the buffalo cow were able to amplify DNA for both genes
The present study reports the first description of clinical manifestation of vaccinia virus (VACV) in buffaloes in the Western Hemisphere, and the first isolation of Brazilian VACV in a bubaline host

Summary

Introduction

Forty years after the eradication of smallpox, many species of genus Orthopoxvirus (OPV) are still relevant and have a considerable impact on human and veterinary health (Essbauer and Meyer, 2010). In contrast to variola virus, which is restricted to humans, CPXV, MPXV, and VACV can infect a large range of hosts (Oliveira et al, 2017). These species are able to infect different groups of mammals, including exotic hosts, as occurred during outbreaks of CPXV in zoos of Europe (Marennikova et al, 1977; Pilaski and Rösen-Wolff, 1988; Kik and Luten, 2009). MPXV is able to infect prairie dogs from North America, indicating that these viruses can infect new hosts in new environments (Guarner et al, 2004; Kile et al, 2005).

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