Abstract
Felis catus gammaherpesvirus 1 (FcaGHV1) is a widely endemic infection of domestic cats. Current epidemiological data identify domestic cats as the sole natural host for FcaGHV1. The Tsushima leopard cat (TLC; Prionailurus bengalensis euptilurus) is a critically endangered species that lives only on Tsushima Island, Nagasaki, Japan. Nested PCR was used to test the blood or spleen of 89 TLCs for FcaGHV1 DNA; three (3.37%; 95% CI, 0.70–9.54) were positive. For TLC management purposes, we also screened domestic cats and the virus was detected in 13.02% (95% CI, 8.83–18.27) of 215 cats. Regarding phylogeny, the partial sequences of FcaGHV1 from domestic cats and TLCs formed one cluster, indicating that similar strains circulate in both populations. In domestic cats, we found no significant difference in FcaGHV1 detection in feline immunodeficiency virus-infected (p = 0.080) or feline leukemia virus-infected (p = 0.163) cats, but males were significantly more likely to be FcaGHV1 positive (odds ratio, 5.86; 95% CI, 2.27–15.14) than females. The higher frequency of FcaGHV1 detection in domestic cats than TLCs, and the location of the viral DNA sequences from both cats within the same genetic cluster suggests that virus transmission from domestic cats to TLCs is likely.
Highlights
The Tsushima leopard cat (TLC: Prionailurus bengalensis euptilurus; family Felidae) is a small wild cat inhabiting Tsushima Island, Nagasaki, Japan
89 samples from TLCs and 215 blood samples from domestic cats were available for Felis catus gammaherpesvirus 1 (FcaGHV1) testing (Table 2)
Three TLCs were positive for FcaGHV1, giving an overall frequency of FcaGHV1 detection in TLCs of 3.37%
Summary
The Tsushima leopard cat (TLC: Prionailurus bengalensis euptilurus; family Felidae) is a small wild cat inhabiting Tsushima Island, Nagasaki, Japan. Viruses 2018, 10, 378 prevalence of feline leukemia virus (FeLV) infection in domestic cats on Tsushima Island. Previous epidemiological data suggests that territorial aggression and fighting are the most common modes of FcaGHV1 and FIV transmission. TLCs are at a high risk of GHV infection To test this hypothesis, we designed FcaGHV1 virus-specific primers to amplify a portion of the glycoprotein B (gB) gene. We designed FcaGHV1 virus-specific primers to amplify a portion of the glycoprotein B (gB) gene Using these primers, we tested blood and spleen samples from TLCs and blood samples from domestic cats on Tsushima Island for FcaGHV1 DNA. The FcaGHV1 sequences from the TLCs were identical to some of the sequences from domestic cats over a 553-bp region of the virus
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