Dataset Information

Seroprevalence of Hepatitis E Virus in Moose (Alces alces), Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus), Red Deer (Cervus elaphus), Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus), and Muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) from Norway.

ABSTRACT: Hepatitis E virus (HEV), a major cause of viral hepatitis worldwide, is considered an emerging foodborne zoonosis in Europe. Pigs (Sus scrofa domestica) and wild boars (S. scrofa) are recognized as important HEV reservoirs. Additionally, HEV infection and exposure have been described in cervids. In Norway, HEV has been identified in pigs and humans; however, little is known regarding its presence in wild ungulates in the country. We used a species-independent double-antigen sandwich ELISA to detect antibodies against HEV in the sera of 715 wild ungulates from Norway, including 164 moose (Alces alces), 186 wild Eurasian tundra reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus), 177 red deer (Cervus elaphus), 86 European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), and 102 muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus). The overall seroprevalence was 12.3% (88/715). Wild reindeer had the highest seropositivity (23.1%, 43/186), followed by moose (19.5%, 32/164), muskoxen (5.9%, 6/102), and red deer (4%, 7/177). All roe deer were negative. According to our results, HEV is circulating in wild ungulates in Norway. The high seroprevalence observed in wild reindeer and moose indicates that these species may be potential reservoirs of HEV. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of HEV exposure in reindeer from Europe and in muskoxen worldwide.

SUBMITTER: Sacristan C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7912786 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Seroprevalence of Hepatitis E Virus in Moose (Alces alces), Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus), Red Deer (Cervus elaphus), Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus), and Muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) from Norway.

Sacristán Carlos C Madslien Knut K Sacristán Irene I Klevar Siv S das Neves Carlos G CG

Viruses 20210201 2

Hepatitis E virus (HEV), a major cause of viral hepatitis worldwide, is considered an emerging foodborne zoonosis in Europe. Pigs (Sus scrofa domestica) and wild boars (S. scrofa) are recognized as important HEV reservoirs. Additionally, HEV infection and exposure have been described in cervids. In Norway, HEV has been identified in pigs and humans; however, little is known regarding its presence in wild ungulates in the country. We used a species-independent double-antigen sandwic ...[more]

PMID: 33535675

Similar Datasets

Project description:Background. Understanding species distribution, especially areas of overlapping habitat between sympatric species, is essential for informing conservation through natural habitat protection. New protection strategies should simultaneously consider conservation efforts for multiple species that exist within the same landscape, which requires studies that include habitat overlap analysis. Methods. We estimated the potential habitat of cervids, which are typical ungulates in northern China, using the present locations of red deer (Cervus elaphus; N = 90) and roe deer (Capreolus capreolus; N = 106) in a Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) model. Our study area was a human-dominated landscape in the Tieli Forestry Bureau located at the southern slope of the Lesser Xing'an Mountains. We grouped 17 environmental predictor variables into five predictor classes (terrain, habitat accessibility, land cover, vegetation feature, and interference), which were used to build habitat suitability models. Results. Habitat accessibility and human interferences were found to have the strongest influence on habitat suitability among the five variable classes. Among the environmental factors, distance to farmland (26.8%), distance to bush-grass land (14.6%), elevation (13.5%), and distance to water source (12.2%) were most important for red deer, distance to farmland (22.9%), distance to settlement (21.4%), elevation (11.6%), and coverage of shrub-grass (8%) were most important for roe deer. Model accuracy was high for both species (mean area under the curve (AUC) = 0.936 for red deer and 0.924 for roe deer). The overlapping habitat comprised 89.93 km(2) within the study area, which occupied 94% of potentially suitable habitat for red deer and 27% for roe deer. Conclusions. In terms of habitat suitability, roe deer showed greater selectivity than red deer. The overlapping habitat was mostly located in the eastern mountains. The southwestern plain was not a suitable habitat for deer because it was close to Tieli City. Regarding management measures, we suggest that priority protection should be given to the potential areas of overlapping deer habitats found in this study.

Project description:1. An anionic and a cationic chymotrypsin (EC 3.4.21.1) were isolated from the pancreas glands of the moose (Alces alces) and elk (Cervus elaphus). The A and B chymotrypsins from each species were purified to homogeneity by (NH4)2SO4 fractionation, affinity chromatography on 4-phenylbutylamine-Sepharose and ion-exchange chromatography on DEAE- and CM-cellulose. 2. The molecular weight and pH optimum of each chymotrypsin were similar to those of the corresponding ox A and B chymotrypsins. 3. The substrate specificities of the chymotrypsins were investigated by digestion of glucagon and the oxidized B chain of insulin. The primary specificity of each chymotrypsin for aromatic amino acid residues was further established by determining the Km and kcat for the hydrolysis of a number of synthetic amino acid ester substrates. 4. The amino acid composition and total number of residues of moose and elk chymotrypsin A were similar to those of ox chymotrypsin A. An even greater similarity was observed among the B chymotrypsins of the three species. 5. The A chymotrypsins of moose and elk were fragmented to their constituent 'A', 'B' and 'C' polypeptide chains by succinylation (3-carboxypropionylation), reduction and alkylation of the native enzymes. In each case, the two major chains ('B' and 'C') were separated and isolated. By comparison of the amino acid compositions of moose, elk and oxy 'B' and 'C' chains, a greater difference was observed among the three A chymotrypsins than was suggested by the amino acid compositions of the native enzymes alone. 6. Peptides were isolated from the disulphide bridge and active-site regions of the A and B chymotrypsins of moose and elk by diagonal peptide-'mapping' techniques. From the amino acid compositions of the isolated peptides (assuming maximum homology) and from a comparison of diagonal peptide 'maps', there was established a high degree of primary-structure identity among the mooae, elk and ox chymotrypsins. Tentative sequences were deduced for the peptides isolated by diagonal peptide 'mapping'. 7. Details of the isolation procedures of the moose and elk chymotrypsins A and B and the amino acid analyses of some peptides obtained by diagonal peptide 'mapping' have been deposited as Supplementary Publication SUP 50064 (27 pages) at the British Library Lending Division, Boston Spa, Wetherby, W. Yorkshire LS23 7BQ, U.K., from whom copies can be obtained on the terms indicated in Biochem. J. (1976) 153, 5.

Project description:BACKGROUND:Muskoxen are a key species of Arctic ecosystems and are important for food security and socio-economic well-being of many Indigenous communities in the Arctic and Subarctic. Between 2009 and 2014, the bacterium Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae was isolated for the first time in this species in association with multiple mortality events in Canada and Alaska, raising questions regarding the spatiotemporal occurrence of the pathogen and its potential impact on muskox populations. MATERIALS AND METHODS:We adapted a commercial porcine E. rhusiopathiae enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to test 958 blood samples that were collected from muskoxen from seven regions in Alaska and the Canadian Arctic between 1976 and 2017. The cut-off between negative and positive results was established using mixture-distribution analysis, a data-driven approach. Based on 818 samples for which a serological status could be determined and with complete information, we calculated trends in sample seroprevalences in population time-series and compared them with population trends in the investigated regions. RESULTS:Overall, 219/818 (27.8%, 95% Confidence Interval: 24.7-31.0) samples were classified as positive for exposure to E. rhusiopathiae. There were large variations between years and regions. Seropositive animals were found among the earliest serum samples tested; 1976 in Alaska and 1991 in Canada. In Alaskan muskoxen, sample seroprevalence increased after 2000 and, in two regions, peak seroprevalences occurred simultaneously with population declines. In one of these regions, concurrent unusual mortalities were observed and E. rhusiopathiae was isolated from muskox carcasses. In Canada, there was an increase in sample seroprevalence in two muskox populations following known mortality events that had been attributed to E. rhusiopathiae. CONCLUSION:Our results indicate widespread exposure of muskoxen to E. rhusiopathiae in western Canada and Alaska. Although not new to the Arctic, we documented an increased exposure to the pathogen in several regions concurrent with population declines. Understanding causes for the apparent increased occurrence of this pathogen and its association with large scale mortality events for muskoxen is critical to evaluate the implications for wildlife and wildlife-dependent human populations in the Arctic.

Dataset Information

Seroprevalence of Hepatitis E Virus in Moose (Alces alces), Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus), Red Deer (Cervus elaphus), Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus), and Muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) from Norway.

Publications

Seroprevalence of Hepatitis E Virus in Moose (<i>Alces alces</i>), Reindeer (<i>Rangifer tarandus</i>), Red Deer (<i>Cervus elaphus</i>), Roe Deer (<i>Capreolus capreolus</i>), and Muskoxen (<i>Ovibos moschatus</i>) from Norway.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets