Chae, S.-B.; Jeong, C.-G.; Park, J.-S.; Na, E.-J.; Oem, J.-K. Detection and Genetic Characterization of Astroviruses in Brain Tissues of Wild Raccoon Dogs. Viruses2023, 15, 1488.
Chae, S.-B.; Jeong, C.-G.; Park, J.-S.; Na, E.-J.; Oem, J.-K. Detection and Genetic Characterization of Astroviruses in Brain Tissues of Wild Raccoon Dogs. Viruses 2023, 15, 1488.
Chae, S.-B.; Jeong, C.-G.; Park, J.-S.; Na, E.-J.; Oem, J.-K. Detection and Genetic Characterization of Astroviruses in Brain Tissues of Wild Raccoon Dogs. Viruses2023, 15, 1488.
Chae, S.-B.; Jeong, C.-G.; Park, J.-S.; Na, E.-J.; Oem, J.-K. Detection and Genetic Characterization of Astroviruses in Brain Tissues of Wild Raccoon Dogs. Viruses 2023, 15, 1488.
Abstract
Astroviruses (AstVs) have been detected in a wide range of animal species, including mammals and birds. Recently, a novel AstVs associated with neurological symptoms has been detected in the brain of some mammals. Raccoon dog AstV has been reported recently in China. However, there have been no reports in South Korea. Therefore, the present study aimed to detect and genetically characterize AstVs in intestine and brain tissues of 133 wild raccoon dogs collected in Korea between 2017 and 2019. Seven wild raccoon dogs were positive for AstV, four of which were also detected in brain tissue. Analysis of the capsid protein amino acid sequences of raccoon dog AstVs detected in Korea revealed a high similarity to canine AstVs, suggesting possible interspecies transmission between raccoon dogs and dogs. Phylogenetic and capsid protein amino acid sequence analysis of raccoon dog AstVs detected in brain 17-148B strain belonged to the HMO clade and exhibited conserved sequences found in neurotropic AstVs (NT-AstVs), indicating their potential as NT-AstVs. However, the pathogenicity and transmission routes of the raccoon dog AstV detected in Korea have not yet been elucidated, so further research and continued surveillance for AstV in wild raccoon dogs are needed.
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
