| Autor: |
Blanquer A; Fundamental and Applied Research for Animals & Health (FARAH), Laboratory of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, Sart Tilman B43, B-4000 Liège, Belgium., Rivas F; Fundamental and Applied Research for Animals & Health (FARAH), Laboratory of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, Sart Tilman B43, B-4000 Liège, Belgium., Gérardy M; Fundamental and Applied Research for Animals & Health (FARAH), Laboratory of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, Sart Tilman B43, B-4000 Liège, Belgium., Sarlet M; Fundamental and Applied Research for Animals & Health (FARAH), Laboratory of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, Sart Tilman B43, B-4000 Liège, Belgium., Moula N; Animal Resources Veterinary Management Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, GIGA Research (AFT), Sart Tilman B23B, B-4000 Liège, Belgium., Ziegler U; Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Institute for Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Südufer 10, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany., Groschup MH; Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Institute for Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Südufer 10, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany., Desmecht D; Fundamental and Applied Research for Animals & Health (FARAH), Laboratory of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, Sart Tilman B43, B-4000 Liège, Belgium., Marichal T; Laboratory of Immunophysiology, GIGA Institute, University of Liège, B-4000 Liège, Belgium.; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, Sart Tilman B42, B-4000 Liège, Belgium., Garigliany M; Fundamental and Applied Research for Animals & Health (FARAH), Laboratory of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, Sart Tilman B43, B-4000 Liège, Belgium. |
| Abstrakt: |
Usutu virus (USUV) is a flavivirus transmitted to avian species through mosquito bites that causes mass mortalities in wild and captive bird populations. However, several cases of positive dead birds have been recorded during the winter, a vector-free period. To explain how USUV "overwinters", the main hypothesis is bird-to-bird transmission, as shown for the closely related West Nile virus. To address this question, we experimentally challenged canaries with intranasal inoculation of USUV, which led to systemic dissemination of the virus, provided the inoculated dose was sufficient (>10 2 TCID 50 ). We also highlighted the oronasal excretion of infectious viral particles in infected birds. Next, we co-housed infected birds with naive sentinels, to determine whether onward transmission could be reproduced experimentally. We failed to detect such transmission but demonstrated horizontal transmission by transferring sputum from an infected to a naive canary. In addition, we evaluated the cellular tropism of respiratory mucosa to USUV in vitro using a canary tracheal explant and observed only limited evidence of viral replication. Further research is then needed to assess if and how comparable bird-to-bird transmission occurs in the wild. |
