scholarly journals Cowpox: reservoir hosts and geographic range

1999 ◽  
Vol 122 (3) ◽  
pp. 455-460 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. CHANTREY ◽  
H. MEYER ◽  
D. BAXBY ◽  
M. BEGON ◽  
K. J. BOWN ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Great Britain ◽  
Direct Evidence ◽  
Geographic Range ◽  
Cowpox Virus ◽  
Domestic Cats ◽  
Wild Rodents ◽  
Seasonal Incidence ◽  
Wood Mice ◽  
Bank Voles ◽  
Reservoir Hosts

It is generally accepted that the reservoir hosts of cowpox virus are wild rodents, although direct evidence for this is lacking for much of the virus's geographic range. Here, through a combination of serology and PCR, we demonstrate conclusively that the main hosts in Great Britain are bank voles, wood mice and short-tailed field voles. However, we also suggest that wood mice may not be able to maintain infection alone, explaining the absence of cowpox from Ireland where voles are generally not found. Infection in wild rodents varies seasonally, and this variation probably underlies the marked seasonal incidence of infection in accidental hosts such as humans and domestic cats.

scholarly journals Serological evidence for the reservoir hosts of cowpox virus in British wildlife

1995 ◽  
Vol 115 (1) ◽  
pp. 185-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. C. Crouch ◽  
D. Baxby ◽  
C. M. McCracken ◽  
R. M. Gaskell ◽  
M. Bennett
Keyword(s):  
Western Europe ◽  
Animal Species ◽  
Reservoir Host ◽  
Clethrionomys Glareolus ◽  
Cowpox Virus ◽  
Wild Rodents ◽  
Tissue Samples ◽  
Wood Mice ◽  
Bank Voles ◽  
Reservoir Hosts

SummaryThe reservoir host of cowpox virus in Western Europe is not known, but epidemiological evidence from human and feline infections indicates that the virus is probably endemic in small wild rodents. Therefore, serum and tissue samples were collected from a variety of wild British mammals and some birds, and tested for evidence of Orthopoxvirus infection. Antibody reacting with cowpox virus was detected in 9/44 (20%) bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus), 8/24 (33%) field voles (Microtus agrestis), 17/86 (20%) wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) and 1/44 house mice (Mus musculus), but in no other animal species tested. Although virus was not isolated from any animal, this serological survey, together with other evidence, suggests that bank and field voles and wood mice are the main reservoir hosts of cowpox virus in Great Britain.

scholarly journals Identification of novel anelloviruses with broad diversity in UK rodents

2014 ◽  
Vol 95 (7) ◽  
pp. 1544-1553 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shoko Nishiyama ◽  
Bernadette M. Dutia ◽  
James P. Stewart ◽  
Anna L. Meredith ◽  
Darren J. Shaw ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Frequency ◽  
Small Animal ◽  
Myodes Glareolus ◽  
Wild Rodents ◽  
Phylogenetic Groups ◽  
Wood Mice ◽  
Bank Voles ◽  
Disease Associations ◽  
Human Infections ◽  
Ssdna Viruses

Anelloviruses are a family of small circular ssDNA viruses with a vast genetic diversity. Human infections with the prototype anellovirus, torque teno virus (TTV), are ubiquitous and related viruses have been described in a number of other mammalian hosts. Despite over 15 years of investigation, there is still little known about the pathogenesis and possible disease associations of anellovirus infections, arising in part due to the lack of a robust cell culture system for viral replication or tractable small-animal model. We report the identification of diverse anelloviruses in several species of wild rodents. The viruses are highly prevalent in wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) and field voles (Microtus agrestis), detectable at a low frequency in bank voles (Myodes glareolus), but absent from house mice (Mus musculus). The viruses identified have a genomic organization consistent with other anelloviruses, but form two clear phylogenetic groups that are as distinct from each other as from defined genera.

scholarly journals A longitudinal study of an endemic disease in its wildlife reservoir: cowpox and wild rodents

2000 ◽  
Vol 124 (3) ◽  
pp. 551-562 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. M. HAZEL ◽  
M. BENNETT ◽  
J. CHANTREY ◽  
K. BOWN ◽  
R. CAVANAGH ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Reservoir Host ◽  
Clethrionomys Glareolus ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Wild Rodents ◽  
Wild Rodent ◽  
Wild Mammals ◽  
Wood Mice ◽  
Zoonotic Infections ◽  
Bank Voles

Cowpox is an orthopoxvirus infection endemic in European wild rodents, but with a wide host range including human beings. In this longitudinal study we examined cowpox in two wild rodent species, bank voles Clethrionomys glareolus and wood mice Apodemus sylvaticus, to investigate the dynamics of a virus in its wild reservoir host. Trapping was carried out at 4-weekly intervals over 3 years and each animal caught was uniquely identified, blood sampled and tested for antibodies to cowpox. Antibody prevalence was higher in bank voles than in wood mice and seroconversion varied seasonally, with peaks in autumn. Infection was most common in males of both species but no clear association with age was demonstrated. This study provides a model for studying other zoonotic infections that derive from wild mammals since other approaches, such as one-off samples, will fail to detect the variation in infection and thus, risk to human health, demonstrated here.

scholarly journals Skin lesions caused by Orthopoxvirus, cowpox - case report from Poland

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 43-48
Author(s):  
Konrad Kania ◽  
Maria Kalicka ◽  
Tomasz Korzec ◽  
Przemyslaw Raczkiewicz ◽  
Monika Kuc
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Course ◽  
Skin Lesions ◽  
Cowpox Virus ◽  
Cat Scratch Disease ◽  
Domestic Cats ◽  
Wild Rodents ◽  
Skin Changes ◽  
Natural Reservoir ◽  
Microbiological Examination ◽  
Facial Area

Background:Despite the elimination of smallpox, other orthopoxviruses, including cowpox virus, still infect humans. Wild rodents are its natural reservoir. Infections in humans are commonly reported from contact with sick domestic cats, rarely directly from rats. Cow pox in humans is a rare zoonotic disease, the diagnosis of which is problematic due to its rarity and thus the lack of clinical experience.Case report:Presented with a summary of the available clinical data on a 15-year-old boy who became infected with cowpox by a domestic cat.The patient developed cutaneous macular changes in the facial area. Within 3 weeks of the onset of symptoms, the lesions progressed through the papular, vesicular and pustular stages before forming a hard black eschars (2 cm in diameter) with erythema and edema and regional lifadenopathy. Differential diagnosis consisting of cat scratch disease, anthrax and brucellosis excluded microbiological examination. The lesions left scars after 8 weeks of continuous topical antiseptic treatment.Conclusions:The clinical course may be complicated, and the improvement takes 4 to 8 weeks. Infection which entered through the skin changes was the cause of antibiotic therapy. Cowpox should be suspected in patients with poorly healing skin lesions accompanied by a painful black eschars with erythema and local lymphadenopathy.

scholarly journals The effect of cowpox virus infection on fecundity in bank voles and wood mice

1997 ◽  
Vol 264 (1387) ◽  
pp. 1457-1461 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah M. Feore ◽  
Malcolm Bennett ◽  
Julian Chantrey ◽  
Trevor Jones ◽  
Derrick Baxb ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Virus Infection ◽  
Cowpox Virus ◽  
Wood Mice ◽  
Bank Voles

scholarly journals Naturally Occurring Orthopoxviruses: Potential for Recombination with Vaccine Vectors

1998 ◽  
Vol 36 (9) ◽  
pp. 2542-2547 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tore Sandvik ◽  
Morten Tryland ◽  
Hilde Hansen ◽  
Reidar Mehl ◽  
Ugo Moens ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Sequences ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Mammalian Species ◽  
Clethrionomys Glareolus ◽  
Cowpox Virus ◽  
Clethrionomys Rufocanus ◽  
Wood Mice ◽  
Bank Voles ◽  
Distribution And Ecology ◽  
Clethrionomys Rutilus

Orthopoxviruses are being increasingly used as live recombinant vectors for vaccination against numerous infectious diseases in humans, domestic animals, and wildlife. For risk assessments and surveillance, information about the occurrence, distribution and ecology of orthopoxviruses in western Europe is important but has mainly been based on serological investigations. We have examined kidneys, lungs, spleens, and livers of Norwegian small rodents and common shrews (Sorex araneus) for the presence of orthopoxvirus DNA sequences by PCR with primers complementary to the viral thymidine kinase (TK) gene. PCR amplicons were verified as orthopoxvirus specific by hybridization with a vaccinia virus TK-specific probe. A total of 347 animals (1,388 organs) from eight locations in different parts of Norway, collected at different times of the year during 1993 to 1995, were examined. Fifty-two animals (15%) from five locations, up to 1,600 km apart, carried orthopoxvirus DNA in one or more of their organs, most frequently in the lungs. These included 9 of 68 (13%) bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus), 4 of 13 (31%) gray-sided voles (Clethrionomys rufocanus), 3 of 11 (27%) northern red-backed voles (Clethrionomys rutilus), 16 of 76 (21%) wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus), and 20 of 157 (13%) common shrews. The previous isolation of cowpox virus from two clinical cases of infection (human and feline) at two of the locations investigated suggests that the viruses detected are cowpox and that some of the virus-carrying small mammalian species should be included among the cowpox virus natural reservoir hosts in Scandinavia and western Europe.

scholarly journals Hantavirus and arenavirus antibody prevalence in rodents and humans in Trentino, Northern Italy

2005 ◽  
Vol 134 (4) ◽  
pp. 830-836 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. KALLIO-KOKKO ◽  
J. LAAKKONEN ◽  
A. RIZZOLI ◽  
V. TAGLIAPIETRA ◽  
I. CATTADORI ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Distribution ◽  
Neutralization Assay ◽  
Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis ◽  
Clethrionomys Glareolus ◽  
Common Finding ◽  
Wild Rodents ◽  
Serum Samples ◽  
Bank Voles ◽  
Dobrava Virus ◽  
Low Prevalence

The spatial and temporal distribution of hantavirus and arenavirus antibody-positive wild rodents in Trentino, Italy, was studied using immunofluorescence assays (IFA) in two long-term sites trapped in 2000–2003, and six other sites trapped in 2002. The overall hantavirus seroprevalence in the bank voles, Clethrionomys glareolus (n=229) screened for Puumala virus (PUUV) antibodies was 0·4%, and that for Apodemus flavicollis mice (n=1416) screened for Dobrava virus (DOBV) antibodies was 0·2%. Antibodies against lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) were found in 82 (5·6%) of the 1472 tested rodents; the seroprevalence being 6·1% in A. flavicollis (n=1181), 3·3% in C. glareolus (n=276), and 14·3% in Microtus arvalis (n=7). Of the serum samples of 488 forestry workers studied by IFA, 12 were LCMV-IgG positive (2·5%) and one DOBV-IgG positive (0·2%), however, the latter could not be confirmed DOBV-specific with a neutralization assay. Our results show a widespread distribution but low prevalence of DOBV in Trentino, and demonstrate that the arenavirus antibodies are a common finding in several other rodent species besides the house mouse.

scholarly journals Structure in parasite component communities in wild rodents: predictability, stability, associations and interactions .... or pure randomness?

Parasitology ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 135 (7) ◽  
pp. 751-766 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. BEHNKE
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Wild Rodents ◽  
Heligmosomoides Polygyrus ◽  
Wood Mice ◽  
Core Species ◽  
Helminth Communities ◽  
Immune Mediated ◽  
Concurrent Infections

SUMMARYExperimental data establish that interactions exist between species of intestinal helminths during concurrent infections in rodents, the strongest effects being mediated through the host's immune responses. Detecting immune-mediated relationships in wild rodent populations has been fraught with problems and published data do not support a major role for interactions in structuring helminth communities. Helminths in wild rodents show predictable patterns of seasonal, host age-dependent and spatial variation in species richness and in abundance of core species. When these are controlled for, patterns of co-infection compatible with synergistic interactions can be demonstrated. At least one of these, the positive relationship betweenHeligmosomoides polygyrusand species richness of other helminths has been demonstrated in three totally independent data-sets. Collectively, they explain only a small percentage of the variance/deviance in abundance data and at this level are unlikely to play a major role in structuring helminth communities, although they may be important in the more heavily infected wood mice. Current worm burdens underestimate the possibility that earlier interactions through the immune system have taken place, and therefore interactions may have a greater role to play than is immediately evident from current worm burdens. Longitudinal studies are proposed to resolve this issue.

scholarly journals In Vivo Characterization of a Bank Vole-Derived Cowpox Virus Isolate in Natural Hosts and the Rat Model

Viruses ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 237
Author(s):  
Saskia Weber ◽  
Kathrin Jeske ◽  
Rainer G. Ulrich ◽  
Christian Imholt ◽  
Jens Jacob ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bank Vole ◽  
Wistar Rats ◽  
Reservoir Host ◽  
Myodes Glareolus ◽  
Replication Capacity ◽  
Cowpox Virus ◽  
Saguinus Oedipus ◽  
Bank Voles ◽  
Common Voles

Cowpox virus (CPXV) belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus in the Poxviridae family and is endemic in western Eurasia. Based on seroprevalence studies in different voles from continental Europe and UK, voles are suspected to be the major reservoir host. Recently, a CPXV was isolated from a bank vole (Myodes glareolus) in Germany that showed a high genetic similarity to another isolate originating from a Cotton-top tamarin (Saguinus oedipus). Here we characterize this first bank vole-derived CPXV isolate in comparison to the related tamarin-derived isolate. Both isolates grouped genetically within the provisionally called CPXV-like 3 clade. Previous phylogenetic analysis indicated that CPXV is polyphyletic and CPXV-like 3 clade represents probably a different species if categorized by the rules used for other orthopoxviruses. Experimental infection studies with bank voles, common voles (Microtus arvalis) and Wistar rats showed very clear differences. The bank vole isolate was avirulent in both common voles and Wistar rats with seroconversion seen only in the rats. In contrast, inoculated bank voles exhibited viral shedding and seroconversion for both tested CPXV isolates. In addition, bank voles infected with the tamarin-derived isolate experienced a marked weight loss. Our findings allow for the conclusion that CPXV isolates might differ in their replication capacity in different vole species and rats depending on their original host. Moreover, the results indicate host-specific differences concerning CPXV-specific virulence. Further experiments are needed to identify individual virulence and host factors involved in the susceptibility and outcome of CPXV-infections in the different reservoir hosts.

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