Potential role of wolf (Canis lupus) as passive carrier of European brown hare syndrome virus (EBHSV)

• Published in: Research in Veterinary Science
• Main Authors: Di Profio, Federica, Melegari, Irene, Sarchese, Vittorio, Robetto, Serena, Bermudez Sanchez, Sandra, Carella, Emanuele, Orusa, Riccardo, Cavadini, Patrizia, Lavazza, Antonio, Marsilio, Fulvio, Martella, Vito, Di Martino, Barbara
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2018
• Subjects: Caliciviru; EBHSV; Faecal swab; Wolf; Veterinary (all); Canis lupus
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/11575/99706; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rvsc.2017.11.016; http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/623070/description#description

European brown hare syndrome virus (EBHSV) was detected in a faecal swab collected from a wolf carcass in Northern Italy. The full-length genome of the EBHSV WOLF/17/2016/ITA strain was determined. In the VP60 capsid gene, the wolf strain displayed the highest genetic identity (99.2–99.1% nucleotide and 99.6–99.7% amino acid) with two EBHSV strains recently found in the intestinal content of a red fox and in the spleen and liver of a hare in Northern Italy. This finding poses interrogatives on the potential role of carnivores as EBHSV passive carriers, favoring the introduction and spread of the virus among different hare populations.