Longitudinal Molecular Epidemiological Analysis of Feline Calicivirus Infection in an Animal Shelter: a Model for Investigating Calicivirus Transmission within High-Density, High-Turnover Populations
- 1 October 2007
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Society for Microbiology in Journal of Clinical Microbiology
- Vol. 45 (10), 3239-3244
- https://doi.org/10.1128/jcm.01226-07
Abstract
The control of outbreaks of calicivirus infection in high-density, high-throughput populations is a challenge to both human and veterinary medicine. In such populations, the prevalence of infection is, in part, dependent on the levels of biosecurity and how this affects virus transmission. Here we show how longitudinal analysis of feline calicivirus (FCV) infection in an animal rescue shelter can be used as a model to examine the dynamics of calicivirus transmission and evolution in such environments. FCV was isolated from 33 of 116 cats sampled over a 15-month period (overall prevalence, 28%). Sequence analysis of the immunodominant variable regions of the viral capsid gene identified 16 strains circulating in the shelter, with no single strain appearing to predominate. The majority of these strains were introduced into the shelter from the community and did not appear to be transmitted within the population. However, for three of these strains, putative transmission events within the shelter were identified. The rates of evolution within hypervariable regions of the FCV capsid gene in individual cats ranged from 0.05 to 1.4% per week, with the highest rates generally being found in animals that either acquired the virus while in the shelter or were undergoing acute infection. These data suggest that despite the high prevalence and presence of multiple strains of FCV within the shelter, the spread of such pathogens may be restricted by various control measures, including good hygiene and biosecurity.Keywords
This publication has 34 references indexed in Scilit:
- Evolutionary Mechanisms of Persistence and Diversification of a Calicivirus within Endemically Infected Natural Host PopulationsJournal of Virology, 2007
- Molecular Epidemiology of Norovirus in Outbreaks of Gastroenteritis in Southwest Germany from 2001 to 2004Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 2006
- Molecular Epidemiology of Caliciviruses Detected in Sporadic and Outbreak Cases of Gastroenteritis in France from December 1998 to February 2004Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 2005
- Mutation in a Lordsdale Norovirus Epidemic Strain as a Potential Indicator of Transmission RoutesJournal of Clinical Microbiology, 2004
- Outbreaks of Acute Gastroenteritis on Cruise Ships and on Land: Identification of a Predominant Circulating Strain of Norovirus—United States, 2002The Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2004
- Evolution of Human Calicivirus RNA In Vivo:Accumulation of Mutations in the Protruding P2 Domain of the CapsidLeads to Structural Changes and Possibly a NewPhenotypeJournal of Virology, 2003
- Norwalk‐like Virus Infection in Military Forces: Epidemic Potential, Sporadic Disease, and the Future Direction of Prevention and Control EffortsThe Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2000
- Tree View: An application to display phylogenetic trees on personal computersBioinformatics, 1996
- Nucleotide sequence of the capsid protein gene of two serotypes of San Miguel sea lion virus: Identification of conserved and non-conserved amino acid sequences among calicivirus capsid proteinsVirus Research, 1992
- Feline calicivirus carrier state a study of the host/virus relationshipArchiv für die gesamte Virusforschung, 1976