Distinct epidemiological profiles of porcine circovirus 3 and fox circovirus in Canadian foxes (Vulpes spp.)

• Published in: Current research in microbial sciences Vol. 3; p. 100161
• Main Authors: Canuti, Marta, Rodrigues, Bruce, Bouchard, Émilie, Whitney, Hugh G., Lang, Andrew S., Dufour, Suzanne C., Verhoeven, Joost T.P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.01.2022; Elsevier
• Subjects: Canine circovirus; Canine viruses; Circoviruses; dogs; excreta; Food-borne infections; foxes; genetic variation; lymph; meat; Molecular epidemiology; monophyly; Newfoundland and Labrador; pathogenicity; PCV-3; Porcine circovirus-3; Research Paper; spleen; viruses; Vulpes; wildlife; Newfoundland and Labrador; Molecular epidemiology; Canine circovirus; Circoviruses; Canine viruses; Food-borne infections; PCV-3
• ISSN: 2666-5174; 2666-5174
• DOI: 10.1016/j.crmicr.2022.100161

•PCV-3 and fox circovirus have different epidemiological profiles in Canadian foxes.•PCV-3 had low prevalence and identified strains were unrelated to each-other.•Fox circovirus had high prevalence and viral sequences were monophyletic.•PCV-3 cases were sporadic infections while fox circovirus was endemic. Circoviruses (genus Circovirus, family Circoviridae) are ssDNA viruses that infect mammals, and they sometimes can transmit among different species. We investigated the distribution and diversity of porcine circovirus 3 (PCV-3, species Porcine circovirus 3) and fox circovirus (species Canine circovirus 1) in different populations of foxes (Vulpes spp.) inhabiting the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador to compare their epidemiological profiles. Of the 210 samples tested in this study 9 were positive for PCV-3 and 99 were positive for fox circovirus. Eight foxes were PCV-3-positive (8/128, 6.3%) and the virus was only found in the most human-populated areas. The PCV-3 positivity rate was significantly higher in stool (7/180, 8.8%) than in spleen (2/120, 1.7%: p < 0.05). Phylogenetic analyses showed that sequences from different animals were unrelated to each other. Fox circovirus was identified in 66 animals (51.6%) and positivity rates were the highest in the least human-populated areas. There were no significant differences between positivity rates in stool (32/80, 40.0%), spleen (59/120, 49.2%), or lymph nodes (8/10, 80.0%). Among 54 positive animals for which both spleen and stool samples were available, 25 (46.3%) had detectable virus in both samples. All fox circovirus sequences recovered in this study formed a monophyletic clade, and no geographic segregation of study strains was observed. The high prevalence and high genetic diversity observed for fox circovirus implies that the virus has been circulating in this population for a long time. PCV-3 cases were consistent with sporadic infections from multiple sources, possibly related to scavenging behavior and consumption of meat by-products and human waste, while fox circovirus was endemic, indicating that foxes are likely the maintenance host for this virus. To the best of our knowledge this is the first study demonstrating the presence of fox circovirus in North America and to show that PCV-3 can be detected in foxes. Future studies should evaluate the pathogenic potential of these viruses for wildlife. [Display omitted]