Extension of the known distribution of a novel clade C betacoronavirus in a wildlife host. (2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Saldanha, I. F.; Lawson, B.; Goharriz, H.; Rodriguez-Ramos Fernandez, J.; John, S. K.; Fooks, A. R.; Cunningham, A. A.; Johnson, N.; Horton, D. L.
• Is Part Of: Epidemiology and infection. Volume 147(2019)
• Publication Date: 2019
• Subjects: Coronavirus, -- geographical information systems, -- virology, -- wildlife, -- zoonoses; Communicable diseases -- Periodicals; Epidemiology -- Periodicals; 614.4
• DOI: 10.1017/S0950268819000207
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0950-2688

Abstract

Abstract: Disease surveillance in wildlife populations presents a logistical challenge, yet is critical in gaining a deeper understanding of the presence and impact of wildlife pathogens. Erinaceus coronavirus (EriCoV), a clade C Betacoronavirus, was first described in Western European hedgehogs ( Erinaceus europaeus ) in Germany. Here, our objective was to determine whether EriCoV is present, and if it is associated with disease, in Great Britain (GB). An EriCoV-specific BRYT-Green ® real-time reverse transcription PCR assay was used to test 351 samples of faeces or distal large intestinal tract contents collected from casualty or dead hedgehogs from a wide area across GB. Viral RNA was detected in 10.8% (38) samples; however, the virus was not detected in any of the 61 samples tested from Scotland. The full genome sequence of the British EriCoV strain was determined using next generation sequencing; it shared 94% identity with a German EriCoV sequence. Multivariate statistical models using hedgehog case history data, faecal specimen descriptions and post-mortem examination findings found no significant associations indicative of disease associated with EriCoV in hedgehogs. These findings indicate that the Western European hedgehog is a reservoir host of EriCoV in the absence of apparent disease.