Prevalence and Risk Factors of Feline Immunodeficiency Virus and Feline Leukemia Virus Infection in Healthy Cats in Thailand

Infections with feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and feline leukemia virus (FeLV) occur worldwide and are among the most important infectious diseases in cats. The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of FIV and FeLV infection in healthy outdoor cats in North, Northeast and Central Thailand. So far, a study on retrovirus prevalence of healthy cats in Thailand in a larger geographic area has not been published yet. In addition, risk factors for FIV and FeLV infections were evaluated. Two hundred sixty healthy cats were prospectively recruited. They originated from 13 locations in North, Northeast, and Central Thailand and were presented for either preventive health care and/or neutering. In each cat, a physical examination was performed to confirm health status. FIV and FeLV status was determined using a commercial rapid enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (SNAP Combo Plus FeLV/FIV, IDEXX). Risk factors were analyzed by binary logistic regression analysis. Samples of 15/260 (5.8%) cats were positive for FIV antibodies, and 11/260 (4.2%) samples were positive for FeLV antigen. One of the 260 (0.4%) cats was positive for both, FIV and FeLV infection. In binary logistic regression analysis, no parameter was associated with a higher risk for FeLV infection. However, cats had a significantly (p = 0.025) higher risk for FIV infection when they were 2 years or older. FIV and FeLV infections occur in healthy cats in North, Northeast and Central Thailand, but prevalence was lower than expected. No risk factors for FeLV infection were detected, but risk for FIV infection increases with age

Analysis of the spike, ORF3, and nucleocapsid genes of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus circulating on Thai swine farms, 2011–2016

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) outbreaks on pig farms have caused significant economic loss in the swine industry since it was first reported in Thailand a decade ago. Anecdotal evidence suggests that PEDV is now endemic in this region, therefore genome information of circulating PEDV is important for molecular surveillance and evaluation of potential benefits of field vaccination. Here, we characterized PEDV infection on commercial Thai swine farms by screening 769 samples of feces and small intestinal contents from pigs with diarrhea between 2011 and 2016. Using reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction targeting the spike (S) gene, 153 PEDV-positive samples were further subjected to analysis of the open reading frame 3 and nucleocapsid (N) genes. Comparison of 95 samples in which nucleotide sequencing was successfully obtained for all three genes revealed evolutionary diversity among the Thai PEDV strains. Phylogenetic analyses suggest that although some Thai strains changed little from years past, others resembled more closely to the recent strains reported in China. Interestingly, eight Thai PEDV strains possessed amino acid deletions in the N protein. The PEDV sequence divergence may be responsible for driving periodic outbreaks and continued persistence of PEDV on commercial swine farms. Our findings provide important insight into regional PEDV strains in circulation, which may assist future inclusions of suitable strains for future PEDV vaccines

Genome constellations of 24 porcine rotavirus group A strains circulating on commercial Thai swine farms between 2011 and 2016.

Rotavirus A (RVA) infection is a major cause of diarrhea-related illness in young children. RVA is also one of the most common enteric viruses detected on pig farms and contributes to substantial morbidity and mortality in piglets. Long-term multi-site surveillance of RVA on Thai swine farms to determine the diversity of RVA strains in circulation is currently lacking. In this study, we characterized the 11 segments of the RVA genome from 24 Thai porcine RVA strains circulating between 2011 and 2016. We identified G9 (15/24) and P[13] (12/24) as the dominant genotypes. The dominant G and P combinations were G9P[13] (n = 6), G9P[23] (n = 6), G3P[13] (n = 5), G9P[19] (n = 3), G4P[6] (n = 2), G4P[19] (n = 1), and G5P[13] (n = 1). Genome constellation of the Thai strains showed the predominance of Wa-like genotype (Gx-P[x]-I1/I5-R1-C1-M1-A8-N1-T1/T7-E1/E9-H1) with evidence of reassortment between the porcine and human RVA strains (e.g., G4-P[6]-I1-R1-C1-M1-A8-N1-T1-E1-H1 and G9-P[19]-I5-R1-C1-M1-A8-N1-T7-E9-H1). To assess the potential effectiveness of rotavirus vaccination, the Thai RVA strains were compared to the RVA strains represented in the swine rotavirus vaccine, which showed residue variations in the antigenic epitope on VP7 and shared amino acid identity below 90% for G4 and G5 strain. Several previous studies suggested these variations might effect on virus neutralization specificity and vaccine efficacy. Our study illustrates the importance of RVA surveillance beyond the G/P genotyping on commercial swine farms, which is crucial for controlling viral transmission

Leptospira infection and shedding in dogs in Thailand

Background Leptospirosis is a widespread zoonosis and has been recognized as a re-emerging infectious disease in humans and dogs, but prevalence of Leptospira shedding in dogs in Thailand is unknown. The aim of this study was to determine urinary shedding of Leptospira in dogs in Thailand, to evaluate antibody prevalence by microscopic agglutination test (MAT) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and to assess risk factors for Leptospira infection. In Northern, Northeastern, and Central Thailand, 273 stray (n = 119) or client-owned (n = 154) dogs from rural (n = 139) or urban (n = 134) areas were randomly included. Dogs that had received antibiotics within 4 weeks prior to sampling were excluded. No dog had received vaccination against Leptospira. Urine was evaluated by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) specific for lipL32 gene of pathogenic Leptospira. Additionally, urine was cultured for 6 months in Ellinghausen-McCullough-Johnson-Harris (EMJH) medium. Antibodies were measured by ELISA and MAT against 24 serovars belonging to 15 serogroups and 1 undesignated serogroup. Risk factor analysis was performed with backwards stepwise selection based on Wald. Results Twelve of 273 (4.4%; 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.0–6.8%) urine samples were PCR-positive. In 1/273 dogs (0.4%; 95% CI: 0.01–1.1%) Leptospira could be cultured from urine. MAT detected antibodies in 33/273 dogs (12.1%; 95% CI: 8.2–16.0%) against 19 different serovars (Anhoa, Australis, Ballum, Bataviae, Bratislava, Broomi, Canicola, Copenhageni, Coxi, Grippotyphosa, Haemolytica, Icterohaemorrhagiae, Khorat, Paidjan, Patoc, Pyrogenes, Rachmati, Saxkoebing, Sejroe). In 111/252 dogs (44.0%; 95% CI: 37.9–50.2%) immunoglobulin M (IgM) and/or immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies were found by ELISA. Female dogs had a significantly higher risk for Leptospira infection (p = 0.023)

Porcine rotavirus C in pigs with gastroenteritis on Thai swine farms, 2011–2016

Swine are economically important food animals, but highly contagious porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) and rotavirus can afflict pig herds and contribute significantly to piglet morbidity and mortality. While there have been studies on rotavirus group A (RVA) in Thailand, reports of rotavirus group C (RVC) are limited. Here, we aimed to identify the prevalence of RVC circulating on Thai commercial swine farms. We analyzed 769 feces and intestine mucosal contents of pigs affected with diarrhea between 2011 and 2016 using RT-PCR specific for the PEDV spike (S), rotavirus glycoprotein (G) VP7, and protease-sensitive protein (P) VP4 genes. We found that 6.6% (51/769) of samples tested positive for RVC, of which 11 samples were co-infected with RVA and four samples were co-infected with PEDV. Three samples tested positive for all three viruses. Phylogenetic analysis of the VP7 gene showed that the most frequent RVC genotype was G1, which grouped with the prototypic RVC Cowden strain. While G6 and G9 were also common, G3 was relatively rare. Analysis of the VP4 gene revealed that the most common P type was P[5], followed by P[4], P[7], and P[1]. In all, there were six G/P combinations (G6P[5], G1P[1], G1P[4], G1P[5], G9P[4], and G9P[7]), of which G6P[5] was the most predominant

Leptospira pre-protein translocase (secY) gene, partial cds.

Leptospira infection and shedding in dogs in Thailan

Leptospira pre-protein translocase (secY) gene, partial cds.

Leptospira infection and shedding in dogs in Thailan