A Remarkable Genetic Diversity of Rotavirus A Circulating in Red Fox Population in Croatia

Rotaviruses (RV), especially (RVA), are globally recognized as pathogens causing neonatal diarrhea, but they also affect intensive animal farming. However, the knowledge on their significance in wildlife is rather limited. The aim of the study was to unveil the prevalence, molecular epidemiology, an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Pathogens (Basel) 2021-04, Vol.10 (4), p.485
Main Authors: Čolić, Daniel, Krešić, Nina, Mihaljević, Željko, Andreanszky, Tibor, Balić, Davor, Lolić, Marica, Brnić, Dragan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Cattle
Diarrhea
Domestic animals
Epidemiology
Foxes
Genetic diversity
Genetic engineering
Genomes
genotype
Genotype & phenotype
Genotypes
Genotyping
molecular epidemiology
Neonates
phylogenetic analysis
Phylogenetics
Polymerase chain reaction
Rabies
red fox
Rotavirus
Rotavirus A
Strains (organisms)
Viruses
Wildlife
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Summary:Rotaviruses (RV), especially (RVA), are globally recognized as pathogens causing neonatal diarrhea, but they also affect intensive animal farming. However, the knowledge on their significance in wildlife is rather limited. The aim of the study was to unveil the prevalence, molecular epidemiology, and genetic diversity of RVA strains circulating in the red fox ( ) population in Croatia. From 2018 to 2019, 370 fecal samples from fox carcasses hunted for rabies monitoring were collected. All samples were first tested using a VP2 real-time RT-PCR; in the subsequent course, positives were subjected to VP7 and VP4 genotyping. The results revealed an RVA prevalence of 14.9%, while the circulating RVA strains showed a remarkable genetic diversity in terms of 11 G and nine P genotypes, among which one G and three P were tentatively identified as novel. In total, eight genotype combinations were detected: G8P[14], G9P[3], G9P[23], G10P[11], G10P[3], G11P[13], G15P[21], and G?P[?]. The results suggest a complex background of previous interspecies transmission events, shedding new light on the potential influence of foxes in RVA epidemiology. Their role as potential reservoirs of broad range of RVA genotypes, usually considered typical solely of domestic animals and humans, cannot be dismissed.
ISSN:2076-0817
2076-0817
DOI:10.3390/pathogens10040485