RESUMO
The huemul (Hippocamelus bisulcus) is an endangered cervid endemic to southern Argentina and Chile. Here we report foot lesions in 24 huemul from Bernardo O'Higgins National Park, Chile, between 2005 and 2010. Affected deer displayed variably severe clinical signs, including lameness and soft tissue swelling of the limbs proximal to the hoof or in the interdigital space, ulceration of the swollen tissues, and some developed severe proliferative tissue changes that caused various types of abnormal wear, entrapment, and/or displacement of the hooves and/or dewclaws. Animals showed signs of intense pain and reduced mobility followed by loss of body condition and recumbency, which often preceded death. The disease affected both genders and all age categories. Morbidity and mortality reached 80% and 40%, respectively. Diagnostics were restricted to a limited number of cases from which samples were available. Histology revealed severe papillomatous epidermal hyperplasia and superficial dermatitis. Electron microscopy identified viral particles consistent with viruses in the Chordopoxvirinae subfamily. The presence of parapoxvirus DNA was confirmed by a pan-poxvirus PCR assay, showing high identity (98%) with bovine papular stomatitis virus and pseudocowpoxvirus. This is the first report of foot disease in huemul deer in Chile, putatively attributed to poxvirus. Given the high morbidity and mortality observed, this virus might pose a considerable conservation threat to huemul deer in Chilean Patagonia. Moreover, this report highlights a need for improved monitoring of huemul populations and synergistic, rapid response efforts to adequately address disease events that threaten the species.
Assuntos
Conservação dos Recursos Naturais , DNA Viral/sangue , Cervos/virologia , Espécies em Perigo de Extinção , Doenças do Pé , Parapoxvirus/metabolismo , Infecções por Poxviridae , Animais , Chile , Doenças do Pé/sangue , Doenças do Pé/veterinária , Doenças do Pé/virologia , Parques Recreativos , Infecções por Poxviridae/sangue , Infecções por Poxviridae/veterinária , Infecções por Poxviridae/virologiaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Bovine vaccinia (BV) is a zoonosis caused by Vaccinia virus, a virus from Orthopoxvirus genus (OPV) that affects mainly cattle herds and humans in rural areas in Brazil. Because most studies have focused on outbreaks situations, data on BV epidemiology is limited. A cross sectional study in Brazilian rural areas during 2012-2013 was conducted to determine the neutralizing antibodies seroprevalence and risk factors for BV. METHODS: A structured questionnaire was applied to elicit demographics data and farming practices considered risk factors for BV exposure. Neutralizing anti-OPV antibodies were investigated using plaque reduction neutralization test. The neutralizing antibodies prevalence rates were calculated and the risk factor analysis was performed using multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: Two hundred and forty participants were enrolled in this study with a prevalence of neutralizing antibodies of 30.8 % (95 % confidence interval [CI], 25.3-36.9). In multivariate analysis, age > 35 years (Odds Ratio [OR] = 18.2; CI 95 % = 7.7 - 43.2) and previous outbreak in property (OR = 3.9; C I95 % = 1.2 - 12.6) were independently associated with anti-OPV neutralizing antibodies. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, anti-OPV protective immunity (neutralizing antibody titers) was assessed in an endemic BV Brazilian rural area. Our findings indicate that epidemiological surveillance is required and should be applied by public health authorities to create interventions and/or prevention strategies to avoid viral spread causing future outbreaks among individuals who are under risk of infection.