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. 2023 Feb 11;20(1):27.
doi: 10.1186/s12985-023-01988-2.

First isolation and molecular characterization of canine parvovirus-type 2b (CPV-2b) from red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) living in the wild habitat of Turkey

Hanne Nur Kurucay  1 , Cuneyt Tamer  1 , Bahadir Muftuoglu  2 , Ahmed Eisa Elhag  3   4 , Seda Gozel  1 , Yasemin Cicek-Yildiz  5 , Sadik Demirtas  6 , Emre Ozan  2 , Harun Albayrak  1 , Semra Okur-Gumusova  1 , Zafer Yazici  7
Affiliations

First isolation and molecular characterization of canine parvovirus-type 2b (CPV-2b) from red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) living in the wild habitat of Turkey

Hanne Nur Kurucay et al. Virol J. .

Abstract

Background: The canine parvovirus, with its many variants, is responsible for a pivotal and common viral infection affecting millions of dogs and other carnivore species worldwide, particularly the wild ones, which are considered as the main reservoir hosts. To that end, this study investigated the presence of canine parvovirus (CPV) in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) living in wild habitats of several regions of Turkey.

Methods: We randomly collected 630 archival fox stool specimens from rural areas of 22 provinces and used real-time PCR to detect CPV.

Results: Two of the 630 (0.3%) stool samples were positive for CPV-DNA, named Tr-Fox/128(Aydın) and Tr-Fox/159(Manisa). We attempted to isolate the virus in a MDCK cell line, and cytopathic effects were observed four days post-inoculation. Three regions corresponding to the CPV capsid protein VP2 gene from extracted DNA of positive samples were amplified by conventional PCR, and the products were visualised, purified, and Sanger sequenced. Three overlapping DNA raw sequence fragments, were read, assembled, and aligned to obtain approximately 1.5 kb-long regions that cover most of the VP2 gene, then deposited in GenBank. After comparing the isolates with parvovirus sequences data of domestic and wild carnivores by BLAST processing, our isolates' similarity rate with each other was 99.40%, with base differences in 9 nucleotide positions. They were classified as 2b variant closely related to isolates from dogs in Turkey, Egypt, Iraq, Italy, Thailand, and China.

Conclusion: This study presents evidence of interspecies transmission of CPV, of which there are no reports on prevalence in wildlife carnivores of our country. Identification of CPV in red foxes threatens local and hunting dogs, which may contract the infection or disseminate it to other wild animal species or vice-versa.

Keywords: Canine parvovirus; Isolation; PCR; Phylogeny; Red foxes.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The map of Turkey shows the geographical locations of provinces where stool samples were collected. formula image  = provinces where fox stools were collected. formula image  = provinces where CPV-positive fox stools were detected
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Photos taken from an inverted microscope show the CPV growth in the MDCK cell line four days post-inoculation. a: CPE changes of Tr-Fox/128 (MW259073.1) observed after inoculation in MDCK cells, including rounding, clumping, and detachment of cells from the monolayer surface. b: Cell control of MDCK cell line (magnification 40×)
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Phylogenetic tree constructed using the maximum-likelihood method from complete VP2 gene nucleotide sequences of CPV and assessed using 1000 bootstrap replications. Red triangles represent our isolates. Others are relative CPV and FPLV strains or isolates labeled with their GenBank accession number, animal host, country and virus name
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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