Prevalence of red panda amdoparvovirus infection in European zoos

Kuhar, Urška (author), Tomášek, Oldřich (author), Sós, Endre (author), Mede, J. (author), Kastelic, Marjan (author), Jež, Nuša (author), Petríková, Martina (author), Hammer Jensen, Trine (author), Everett Alex, Charels (author), Jamnikar Ciglenečki, Urška (author), Kvapil, Pavel (author)

Red panda amdoparvovirus (RPAV) was first described in captive red pandas (Ailurus fulgens) at a zoo in the United States in 2018. Subsequently, the prevalence of infection in zoos in the United States was reported to be 50%; however, RPAV prevalence outside the United States remains unstudied. This study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of RPAV in 134 red pandas from zoos in Europe. Overall, RPAV was detected with PCR in 21 of 62 zoos (33.9%), and the virus prevalence among individuals was estimated to be 24.2% (95% confidence interval, 17.4%–32.0%). Remarkably, adult females tested positive for RPAV more frequently than adult males. Zoos where RPAV was detected reported a significantly higher occurrence of alopecia (and clinical signs in general), whereas other commonly reported problems (fecal disorders and dental disease) showed no difference. A repeated pooled sampling of two positive individuals further showed that RPAV excretion in feces is intermittent, with the viral DNA being only detected on 8 out of 14 sampling days. The intermittent nature of excretion implies that RPAV prevalence may be higher than the estimated value.

• Language: English
• Keywords: Amdoparvovirus, Red panda, Zoo
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: VF - Veterinary Faculty
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2023
• Number of pages: 7 str., [article no.] 1276248
• Numbering: Vol. 10
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-152015
• UDC: 636.09:616.9
• ISSN on article: 2297-1769
• DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1276248
• COBISS.SI-ID: 169804291
• Publication date in RUL: 27.10.2023

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Frontiers in veterinary science
• Shortened title: Front. vet. sci.
• Publisher: Frontiers Media
• ISSN: 2297-1769
• COBISS.SI-ID: 3969402

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Projects

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: P4-0092
• Name: Zdravje živali, okolje in varna hrana

• Funder: Other - Other funder or multiple funders
• Funding programme: Veterinary department of the Ljubljana Zoo