Abstract
Aleutian mink disease virus (AMDV), which causes Aleutian disease, is widely spread both in farmed mink and wild mustelids. However, only limited data are available on the role of wild animals in AMDV transmission and spread. Our aim was to shed light on AMDV transmission among wild mustelids and estimate the effect of intense farming practices on the virus circulation by studying AMDV prevalence and genetic diversity among wild mustelids in Poland. We compared AMDV seroprevalence and proportion of PCR-positive individuals in American mink, polecats, otters, stone martens, and pine martens and used the phylogenetic analysis of the NS1 region to study transmission. In addition, we used a metagenomic approach to sequence complete AMDV genomes from tissue samples. In eastern Poland, AMDV seroprevalence in wild mustelids varied from 22 per cent in otters to 62 per cent and 64 per cent in stone martens and feral mink, respectively. All studied antibody-positive mink were also PCR positive, whereas only 10, 15, and 18 per cent of antibody-positive polecats, pine martens, and stone martens, respectively, were PCR positive, suggesting lower virus persistence among these animal species as compared to feral mink. In phylogenetic analysis, most sequences from feral mink formed region-specific clusters that have most likely emerged through multiple introductions of AMDV to feral mink population over decades. However, virus spread between regions was also observed. Virus sequences derived from farmed and wild animals formed separate subclusters in the phylogenetic tree, and no signs of recent virus transmission between farmed and wild animals were observed despite the frequent inflow of farmed mink escapees to wild populations. These results provide new information about the role of different mustelid species in AMDV transmission and about virus circulation among the wild mustelids. In addition, we pinpoint gaps of knowledge, where more studies are needed to achieve a comprehensive picture of AMDV transmission.
Highlights
Aleutian mink disease virus (AMDV), species Carnivore amdoparvovirus 1, belongs to the genus Amdoparvovirus in family Parvoviridae (Shahrabadi, Cho, and Marusyk 1977; Bloom, Race, and Wolfinbarger 1980; Canuti, Whitney, and Lang 2015)
Otters, and polecats were all collected in the eastern part of the country, and feral mink were collected at nine sites: Białowieza Forest (BPF), Biebrza National Park (BNP), Narew National Park (NNP), Vistula River (VR), Gwda River (GR), Drawa National Park (DNP), Warta Mouth National Park (WMNP), Słowinski National Park (SNP), and Modła Lake and surrounding area (ML; Fig. 1)
The prevalence of antibodies against AMDV among feral mustelids (637 feral mink (Zalewski et al 2020), 63 pine martens, 61 stone martens, 19 polecats, and 9 otters) in eastern Poland are presented in Table 1 and Fig. 2
Summary
Aleutian mink disease virus (AMDV), species Carnivore amdoparvovirus 1, belongs to the genus Amdoparvovirus in family Parvoviridae (Shahrabadi, Cho, and Marusyk 1977; Bloom, Race, and Wolfinbarger 1980; Canuti, Whitney, and Lang 2015). In addition to American mink, antibodies against AMDV or viral DNA have been found in several other carnivore species, including ferret (Mustela putorius furo), European mink (Mustela lutreola), pine marten (Martes martes, Martes americana), stone marten (Martes foina), polecat (Mustela putorius), stoat (Mustela erminea), skunk (Mephitis mephitis), otters (Lutra lutra, Lontra canadensis), raccoon (Procyon lotor), fox (Vulpes vulpes), bobcat (Lynx rufus), lynx (Lynx canadensis subsolanus), and common genet (Genetta genetta) (Ingram and Cho 1974; Fournier-Chambrillon et al 2004; Farid 2013; Knuuttila et al 2015; Virtanen et al 2020; Canuti et al 2020a).
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