Abstract
Orthpoxvirus infection can spread more easily in a population with a waning immunity with the subsequent emergence/re-emergence of the viruses pertaining to this genus. In the last two decades, several cases of Orthopoxvirus, and in particular Cowpoxvirus infections in humans were reported in different parts of the world, possibly due to the suspension of smallpox vaccinations. To date, in Italy, few investigations were conducted on the presence of these infections, and because of this a serosurvey was carried out to evaluate Cowpoxvirus infection in feline colonies situated in the province of Rome, since these are also susceptible to other zoonotic viruses belonging to Orthopoxvirus, and from which humans may contract the infection. The sample design was set at an expected minimum seroprevalence of 7.5%, a 5% standard error and 95% confidence level. In parallel, a serological investigation was conducted using convenience sampling in domestic, exotic and wild susceptible animals of the Latium and Tuscany Regions, which are areas in the jurisdiction of the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Lazio e della Toscana, coordinating this study. The serological methods employed were indirect immunofluorescence for 36 sera of nonhuman primate and virus neutralization for 1198 sera of different species. All the 1234 sera examined were negative for the presence of antibodies against Cowpoxvirus, indicating its limited circulation in the areas of investigation. The methodology applied for the serosurveillance could be adopted in the case of outbreaks of this infection and for the evaluation of the spread of this infection in the area of interest, to obtain essential information crucial for animal and public health policies according to the One Health concept.
Highlights
The Cowpoxvirus (CPXV) belongs to the family Poxviridae, genus Orthopoxvirus (OPV)and is endemic in northern Europe, with the exception of Ireland and western Russia.During the last 20 years, an increasing number of cases were described in animals in central and southern Europe, and CPXV infection is nowadays considered to be the most common OPV infection occurring in Europe [1]
Wild rodents are reported as the most likely natural reservoir of CPXV [3,4] infecting a broad range of domestic mammals, including dogs, cats, cattle, horses [2], nonhuman primates and several wild animal species such as elephants, llamas, and other exotic animals kept in captivity at European zoos; not excluding that direct transmission can occur among these species [5,6]
Given the few epidemiological investigations carried out in Italy, the present paper describes a cross-sectional survey aimed at estimating the prevalence of OPV antibodies in a representative sample of stray cats living in registered feline colonies of a Local Health Unit (LHU) (ASL Rome 3) in the Rome metropolis
Summary
During the last 20 years, an increasing number of cases were described in animals in central and southern Europe, and CPXV infection is nowadays considered to be the most common OPV infection occurring in Europe [1]. Human infections caused by CPXV are rare, occur via contact with infected animals [2] and are normally self-limiting, except for immunocompromised patients in which, frequently, major clinical manifestations develop. Wild rodents are reported as the most likely natural reservoir of CPXV [3,4] infecting a broad range of domestic mammals, including dogs, cats, cattle, horses [2], nonhuman primates and several wild animal species such as elephants, llamas, and other exotic animals kept in captivity at European zoos; not excluding that direct transmission can occur among these species [5,6]. Cat to cat transmission is possible and occurs by the oro-nasal route [8]
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