High seroprevalence of feline morbilliviruses in free-roaming domestic cats in Chile
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BRIEF REPORT
High seroprevalence of feline morbilliviruses in free‑roaming domestic cats in Chile Johannes Busch1 · Irene Sacristán2 · Aitor Cevidanes2 · Javier Millán3,4,5 · Thomas W. Vahlenkamp1 · Constanza Napolitano6,7 · Michael Sieg1 Received: 15 July 2020 / Accepted: 30 September 2020 © The Author(s) 2020
Abstract Feline morbillivirus infections have gained increased attention due to repeated reports of their association with urinary tract disease in cats. In the present study, 112 serum samples from free-roaming domestic cats in Chile were tested for antibodies against feline morbillivirus genotypes 1 and 2 (FeMV-1 and FeMV-2) using an indirect immunofluorescence assay. In total, 63% of the animals showed antibodies against one or both FeMV genotypes. Antibodies directed exclusively against FeMV-2 were significantly more prevalent in male cats. The correlation of sex and FeMV-2 infection might give insight into potential routes of transmission. We provide, for the first time, serological data on FeMV in Chile. The family Paramyxoviridae currently comprises 78 virus species divided into four subfamilies and 17 genera covering a broad host range including mammals, birds, fish and reptiles [1]. In 2012, a new paramyxovirus was detected in stray cats from Hong Kong, designated as feline morbillivirus (FeMV, formally known as FmoPV) [2]. Subsequent studies verified FeMV to be present in Japan [3], Germany [4], Italy [5], the USA [6], Brazil [7], Turkey [8], the UK [9], Malaysia [10] and mainland China [11]. In-depth analysis of complete genome sequences revealed viral diversity of FeMV strains from different locations [3, 12, 13]. In 2019, a large surveillance program in Germany identified a second genotype of FeMV (FeMV-2) with 78% whole-genome Handling Editor: Bert K. Rima. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s00705-020-04882-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
nucleotide sequence identity to the previously detected FeMV isolates [14]. In infected cats, viral proteins were predominantly detected in the kidney but were also found in other organs (e.g., lymph nodes) [2, 12, 13, 15]. FeMV involvement in chronic kidney diseases (CKD) has been suggested. CKD is common in domestic cats, with a reported incidence of 28-50%, primarily affecting older animals [16, 17]. Prevalence data for FeMV obtained by detection of antibodies against the viral nucleoprotein (N) in Japan, Hong Kong and the UK revealed that 21.0, 27.8 and 30% of the animals, respectively, were FeMV positive, [2, 9, 12]. Similar results were obtained using a phosphoprotein (P)-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) [18]. In the USA and Brazil, FeMV has been detected by RT-PCR [6, 7], but so far, no serological studies have been published. We analyzed serum samples from 112 domestic cats. The cohort comprised 62 female and 50 male, rural, free-roaming, mix-bred, short-haired cats, with an average age of 30
* Constanza Napolitano constanza.n
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