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Serology of analyzed guigna serum samples from Chile. Representative result of a serological analysis via immunofluorescence assay. FeMV-specific antibodies were detected in a guigna serum sample (serum A) illustrated by fluorescence staining of perinuclear and cytoplasmic viral inclusion bodies (white arrows). In comparison, an IFA-negative sample (serum B) is shown on the right. Scale bar represents 20 µm.
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The family of paramyxoviruses has received growing attention as several new species have been identified recently, notably two different clusters in domestic cats, designated as feline morbillivirus (FeMV) and feline paramyxovirus (FPaV). Their phylogenetic origin and whether wild felids also harbor these viruses are currently unknown. Kidney sampl...
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... In addition to domestic cats, the host spectrum of FeMV infection includes wild felids, such as the Leopardus guigna in Chile [36] and the Panthera pardus in Thailand [37]. Azotaemia and TIN have been reported in two black leopards with FeMV infection in Thailand; FeMV could be a threat for susceptible endangered host species [37]. ...
Feline morbillivirus (FeMV) was first isolated in 2012 from stray cats in Hong Kong. It has been found in association with tubulointerstitial nephritis (TIN), the most common cause of feline chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, viral host spectrum and virus tropism go beyond the domestic cat and kidney tissues. The viral genetic diversity of FeMV is extensive, but it is not known if this is clinically relevant. Urine and kidney tissues have been widely tested in attempts to confirm associations between FeMV infection and renal disease, but samples from both healthy and sick cats can test positive and some cross-sectional studies have not found associations between FeMV infection and CKD. There is also evidence for acute kidney injury following infection with FeMV. The results of prevalence studies differ greatly depending on the population tested and methodologies used for detection, but worldwide distribution of FeMV has been shown. Experimental studies have confirmed previous field observations that higher viral loads are present in the urine compared to other tissues, and renal TIN lesions associated with FeMV antigen have been demonstrated, alongside virus lymphotropism and viraemia-associated lymphopenia. Longitudinal field studies have revealed persistent viral shedding in urine, although infection can be cleared spontaneously.
... This species can adapt to human-dominated areas using vegetation corridors and dense understory to move across fragmented landscapes (Sanderson et al., 2002;Acosta-Jamett and Simonetti, 2004;Gálvez et al., 2013), even using remnant forest strips along vineyard borders . Threats to guignas include land-use change, habitat loss and fragmentation, direct persecution as retaliation for poultry depredation, attacks by domestic dogs, and pathogens transmitted by domestic cats and dogs (Sanderson et al., 2002;Gálvez et al., 2013;Mora et al., 2015;Napolitano et al., 2015b;Sacristán et al., 2019aSacristán et al., , 2020Sacristán et al., , 2021aSacristán et al., , 2021bSieg et al., 2020;Ortega et al., 2021). The species is currently classified by the IUCN Red List as Vulnerable (Napolitano et al., 2015a). ...
... Guigna populations inhabiting fragmented human-dominated landscapes were found to have reduced genetic diversity (based on neutral microsatellite loci and mitochondrial DNA) and increased dispersal (Napolitano et al., 2015b). The propensity for guignas to increase dispersal in humandominated landscapes may lead to higher probabilities of pathogen transmission among guignas and domestic carnivores from nearby human dwellings (López-Jara et al., 2021;Sacristán et al., 2019bSacristán et al., , 2021aSacristán et al., , 2021bSieg et al., 2020;Busch et al., 2021). Low genetic diversity has been described for other fragmented wildlife populations (Radespiel and Bruford, 2014), which may render these populations particularly susceptible to infectious diseases, resulting in epidemics that have the potential to cause local extinctions (Meli et al., 2010). ...
... To understand selection processes acting on MHC loci under natural conditions in guignas, we studied the relationship between individual MHC genotype and micro and macro parasite infection. To investigate associations between MHC diversity and microparasite infection status we used data from previous studies assessing feline leukemia virus (FeLV) (21/102, 20.6 % observed prevalence) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) (3/102, 3.0 %) (Mora et al., 2015;Sacristán et al., 2021a), Carnivore protoparvovirus-1 (13/98, 13.3 %) (Sacristán et al., 2021b), hemoplasma (24/102, 23.5 %) (Sacristán et al., 2019a) and feline paramyxovirus (11/35, 31.4 %) (Sieg et al., 2020) infection in guignas. We recorded infection as PCR-positive individuals with successfully sequenced amplicons. ...
Anthropogenic environmental change is reducing available habitat for wild species, providing novel selection pressures such as infectious diseases and causing species to interact in new ways. The potential for emerging infectious diseases and zoonoses at the interface between humans, domestic animals, and wild species is a key global concern. In vertebrates, diversity at the major histocompatibility complex MHC is critical to disease resilience, and its study in wild populations provides insights into eco-evolutionary dynamics that human activities alter. In natural populations, variation at MHC loci is partly maintained by balancing selection, driven by pathogenic selective pressures. We hypothesize that MHC genetic diversity differs between guigna populations inhabiting human-dominated landscapes (higher pathogen pressures) versus more natural habitats (lower pathogen pressures). We predict that MHC diversity in guignas would be highest in human-dominated landscapes compared with continuous forest habitats. We also expected to find higher MHC diversity in guignas infected with micro and macro parasites (higher parasite load) versus non infected guignas. We characterized for the first time the genetic diversity at three MHC class I and II exons in 128 wild guignas (Leopardus guigna) across their distribution range in Chile (32-46° S) and Argentina, representing landscapes with varying levels of human disturbance. We integrated MHC sequence diversity with multiple measures of anthropogenic disturbance and both micro and macro parasite infection data. We also assessed signatures of positive selection acting on MHC genes. We found significantly higher MHC class I diversity in guignas inhabiting landscapes where houses were present, and with lower percentage of vegetation cover, and also in animals with more severe cardiorespiratory helminth infection (richness and intensity) and micro-macroparasite co-infection. This comprehensive, landscape-level assessment further enhances our knowledge on the evolutionary dynamics and adaptive potential of vertebrates in the face of emerging infectious disease threats and increasing anthropogenic impacts.
... Although we have identified many pathogens to be assessed in Iberian carnivores, there is no information about some other pathogens that may be causing unrecorded disease, such as Hepatozoon sp., Brucella canis, Francisella tularensis, or the recently described feline morbilliviruses, which are prevalent in wild felines in other regions of the world [114]. • Fungal pathogens have largely been neglected to date. ...
We use a suite of meta-analytic and comparative methods to derive fundamental insights into how sampling effort, pathogen richness, infection prevalence, and seroprevalence vary across Carnivora taxa and Iberian geography. The red fox was the most studied species, the wolf and Iberian lynx were disproportionally studied, and the Arctoidea were understudied. Sampling effort was higher in Mediterranean areas, but central Spain showed the higher pathogen richness. Excluding studies analyzing fecal samples, 53 different pathogens have been detected in Iberian carnivores, including 16 viruses, 27 bacteria, and 10 protozoa but no fungi. Sampling effort and pathogen diversity were generally more similar among closely related carnivore species. Seropositivity to viruses was lower and higher in the Mustelinae and the Canidae, respectively, and seropositivity to protozoa was higher in both taxa. Canine distemper virus exposure was greatest in canids and mustelids. Carnivore protoparvovirus-1 exposure was greatest in the Atlantic regions, and the Felidae and the Musteloidea had lower infection prevalence. A subclade of the Mustelidae had a greater prevalence of Leishmania infection. We observed no relationships between host phylogenetic distance and pathogen sharing among species. Lastly, we identify important research pitfalls and future directions to improve the study of infectious disease in Iberian wild carnivore communities.
... An additional concern about wandering pet cats is that they may contribute to increased feral cat populations directly by not returning home, via breeding, or kitten abandonment (Jongman 2007). Furthermore, in areas where native felids are also present, there are risks of hybridization with pet cats and disease transmission from pet cats to native felids (Senn et al. 2019;Sieg et al. 2020). ...
Pet cats (Felis catus) often have negative effects on wildlife. This is of growing concern in urban areas as these are increasingly becoming hotspots of native wildlife activity, and as the human population increases, so too does the pet cat population. To maintain biodiversity in urban areas, further knowledge on pet cat behaviour and impacts is required so that management strategies for pet cats are well informed and have public and government support. Here, we offer insights into the wandering activity of pet cats in a patchy urban-heavily vegetated landscape on the east coast of Australia. Our estimated pet cat movement ranges were generally larger than those previously observed in similar landscapes, as well as in more urbanized and rural habitats. Using GPS data loggers, we found that pet cats did not utilize vegetated spaces more than urban areas, nor did they prefer them relative to their availability. Half of our study cats selected urban habitats, whilst the other half displayed no selection or a slight preference for vegetated spaces; these cats had fewer barriers to overcome to reach them. We did not observe any large differences in movements or habitat use between day and night, but displacement distances and preference for vegetated space habitat were marginally lower at night. All pet cats monitored spent most of their time outside their houses. As both urban and vegetated spaces in patchy urban landscapes provide habitat for native wildlife , pet cat activity across both habitat types requires management action.
... Small wildcats are a group of species that can be severely affected by the presence of FR-dogs and FR-cats through predation (Silva-Rodríguez & Sieving 2011;Hughes & Macdonald 2013;Schüttler et al. 2018), competition (Vanak & Gompper 2010;Young et al. 2011;Cruz et al. 2018) and disease transmission Mora et al. 2015;Sieg et al. 2020). Wildcats provide valuable ecosystem services such as controlling populations of small mammals (e.g. ...
... In fact, Schüttler et al. (2018) found evidence that rural household cats with an inadequate food supply brought more prey home than village cats. Therefore, if lack of care and control by cat owners worsens in areas where wildcats exist, the likelihood of cats entering natural habitats to feed may increase, generating higher risk of interactions and disease transmission for native species (Silva-Rodríguez & Sieving 2011;O'Brien et al. 2012;Mora et al. 2015;Sieg et al. 2020). This is important since domestic cats have contributed to mortality and extinction of wildlife species worldwide (Medina et al. 2011). ...
The Chilean Mediterranean ecosystem is threatened by anthropogenic pressures, such as habitat loss by intensive agriculture and urban sprawl. Abandoned dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) and cats (Felis silvestris catus) pose conservation challenges for Chilean wildlife including the pampas cat (Leopardus colocolo) and the güiña (Leopardus guigna). We used camera trap data to investigate influences of natural and anthropogenic landscape features on spatiotemporal trends of these species. We also used co-occurrence modeling and kernel density estimation to investigate spatial and temporal patterns overlap of wildcats, free-ranging (FR) dogs, and FR-cats. FR-dogs showed the highest detection and site use probabilities, while güiñas had the lowest across 80 camera trap sites. Top models showed no spatial avoidance between species and co-occurrence of wildcats was positively influenced by forest habitat. However, FR-dogs negatively affected detection of wildcats. Ravines surrounded by forest positively influenced güiña and pampas cat detection probabilities when dominant species were not present. FR-dogs and wildcats had significantly different temporal activity patterns and low overlap coefficients, while wildcats and FR-cats showed high overlap in activity patterns. We suggest changing current policies to control domestic animals and strategic planning in agricultural areas of central Chile to better conserve native wildcat species.
... [8][9][10] During the last 3 decades, as a result of spillover, a considerable number of diverse paramyxoviruses have been identified from wildlife species and terrestrial mammalian species, including humans. [11][12][13][14] The paramyxoviruses are a group of negative-sense, singlestranded RNA viruses that are classified under the family Paramyxoviridae. Those with public health concerns paramyxoviruses include Hendra virus (HeV), Nipah virus (NiV) and Menangle paramyxovirus (MenPV). ...
Newcastle disease virus (NDV) has a worldwide distribution, causing lethal infection in a wide range of avian species. Affected birds develop respiratory, digestive and neurologic symptoms with profound immunosuppression. Mild systemic Newcastle disease (ND) infection restricted to the respiratory and neurological systems can be observed in humans and other non‐avian hosts. Evidence of ND infection and its genome‐based detection have been reported in Bovidae (cattle and sheep), Mustelidae (mink), Cercetidae (hamster), Muridae (mice), Leporidae (rabbit), Camelidae (camel), Suidae (pig), Cercophithecidae (monkeys) and Hominidae (humans). Owing to frequent ND outbreaks in poultry workers, individuals engaged in the veterinary field, including poultry production or evisceration and vaccine production units have constantly been at a much higher risk than the general population. A lethal form of infection has been described in immunocompromised humans and non‐avian species including mink, pig and cattle demonstrating the capability of NDV to cross species barriers. Therefore, contact with infectious material and/or affected birds can pose a risk of zoonosis and raise public health concerns. The broad and expanding host range of NDV and its maintenance within non‐avian species hampers disease control, particularly in disease‐endemic settings.
... Our aim was to investigate the use of space by rural free-roaming domestic cats, focusing on the conservation implications for vertebrates that inhabit the Valdivian rainforest ecoregion, recognized as a biodiversity hotspot (Myers et al., 2000). Potential spatial overlap with the guigna, a vulnerable forest-dwelling felid, was assessed, since disease transmission by domestic cats has been described as an emerging threat for guignas (Busch et al., 2021;Mora et al., 2015;Sacristán et al., 2019Sacristán et al., , 2021Sieg et al., 2020;Napolitano et al., 2015). We characterized local domestic cat populations in the study sites in terms of demography and care provided by owners, to identify potential risk factors or threats to wildlife. ...
Free-roaming domestic cats can negatively affect wildlife, and understanding how they use space is fundamental to predict their potential impacts. In this study we describe the use of space of 48 owned free-roaming cats and assess the level of care provided by owners in rural areas near priority conservation areas in southern Chile. Additionally, we use camera trap data from two protected areas to assess spatial overlap with wild vertebrates, particularly the guigna (Leopardus guigna), a vulnerable forest-dwelling felid. Cat home ranges were variable (1–47.2 hectares) and their activity was mostly concentrated within 100 meters of the household, with maximum foray distances up to 2.5 km. Cats used wooded areas (12%of fixes on average), mostly native forest, where spatial overlap with endemic and/or threatened species was documented. Nonetheless cats were infrequently detected in nearby protected areas (1.7% of GPS locations and 1% of the cameras). The use of wooded areas was strongly associated with the distance from the household to the forest edge and home range areas were negatively associated with house density. Our findings suggest that in areas isolated from households (>200 m), the problem of cats is marginal and restricted to the edges. Management was in general deficient, observing birth control in only 13% of cats and lack of preventive health care in 86% of cats. Cat impacts could be exacerbated under increasing land subdivision in southern Chile where, without population control strategies, cats may become an emergent threat for native wildlife.
Domestic cats are the natural host of feline morbilliviruses (FeMV). Although other species can also be infected (such as dogs and opossums), no laboratory animal infection model is established so far. In vitro models for studying the molecular pathogenesis are therefore needed. For this purpose, propagation and titration of FeMV are key techniques. Unlike other morbilliviruses, such as canine distemper virus (CDV) or measles virus (MV), FeMV is a slow growing virus in cell culture and is difficult to titrate using classical plaque techniques. Here we describe methods for the efficient isolation of FeMV from natural sources (e.g., urine), the propagation of viral stocks, and their titration. In addition, we establish the generation of a three-dimensional infection model mimicking the feline tubular epithelium.
Humans are rapidly transforming whole ecosystems by deforestation, habitat fragmentation, pollution, and climate change, among others. Increased human populations and the transformation of original habitats to productive lands have led to increased contact between humans, domestic animals, and wildlife. Although the maintenance and circulation of pathogens at the domestic and wild carnivore interface often involves bidirectional transmission, domestic carnivores have been identified as reservoirs for infectious agents that have produced numerous epidemics in different wild carnivore species worldwide. For instance, domestic dogs have been implicated in outbreaks of canine distemper and rabies in wild carnivores, while domestic cats have been shown to transmit feline leukemia and feline immunodeficiency to wild felids. Domestic dogs and cats are particularly abundant in urban areas of some developing countries where they can act as excellent reservoirs for pathogens, since they usually inhabit large populations, are not vaccinated, and are regularly allowed to roam freely, facilitating contact between infected and susceptible hosts. In contrast, in rural areas, where domestic dogs and cat densities and population sizes are often lower, theoretically highly virulent pathogens cannot be maintained, and infections fade out without external input of infectious animals from neighboring urban areas. On the other hand, wild carnivore populations are commonly found at low densities, many are solitary, and their numbers are often not sufficient to maintain infections for highly pathogenic generalist agents. In the neotropics, approximately 28% of wild felids and 30% of wild canids of the world are found; however, very few studies have assessed the transmission of pathogens at the wildlife-domestic interface in neotropical carnivores. This chapter aims to review the current knowledge on pathogen spillover from domestic dogs and cats to wild carnivores in human-dominated landscapes in the neotropics. We discuss evidence-based predictions on how relevant diseases can spread from domestic to wild carnivores, which in many cases are endemic or threatened.
Leopardus guigna (Molina, 1782) is a felid commonly called the kodkod. It is the smallest cat in the Americas—about the size of a small house cat—and is 1 of 13 species in the genus Leopardus. Leopardus guigna has the smallest distribution of any New World felid, restricted to southern Chile and Argentina where it is strongly associated with the Chilean Matorral and Valdivian Temperate Rainforest ecoregions. Leopardus guigna is listed on Appendix II of the Convention for the International Trade of Endangered Species and as “Vulnerable” (VU) by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature due to habitat loss and fragmentation, human persecution, and its declining population.
