Institute of Wildlife Conservation, College of Veterinary Medicine, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung, Taiwan.
Research Center for Animal Biologics, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung, Taiwan.
Arch Virol. 2021 Feb;166(2):427-438. doi: 10.1007/s00705-020-04904-z. Epub 2021 Jan 3.
The leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) was listed as an endangered species under the Wildlife Conservation Act in Taiwan in 2009. However, no study has evaluated the possible direct or indirect effects of pathogens on the Taiwanese leopard cat population. Here, we targeted viral pathogens, including carnivore protoparvovirus 1 (genus Protoparvovirus), feline leukemia virus (FeLV), feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), coronaviruses (CoVs), and canine distemper virus (CDV), through molecular screening. The spatial and temporal dynamics of the target pathogens were evaluated. Through sequencing and phylogenetic analysis, we clarified the phylogenetic relationship of viral pathogens isolated from leopard cats and domestic carnivores. Samples from 23 live-trapped leopard cats and 29 that were found dead were collected from 2015 to 2019 in Miaoli County in northwestern Taiwan. Protoparvoviruses and CoVs were detected in leopard cats, and their prevalence (95% confidence interval) was 63.5% (50.4%-76.6%) and 8.8% (0%-18.4%), respectively. Most of the protoparvovirus sequences amplified from Taiwanese leopard cats and domestic carnivores were identical. All of the CoV sequences amplified from leopard cats were identified as feline CoV. No spatial or temporal aggregation of protoparvovirus infection in leopard cats was found in the sampling area, indicating a wide distribution of protoparvoviruses in the leopard cat habitat. We consider sympatric domestic carnivores to be the probable primary reservoir for the identified pathogens. We strongly recommend management of protoparvoviruses and feline CoV in the leopard cat habitat, particularly vaccination programs and population control measures for free-roaming dogs and cats.
豹猫（Prionailurus bengalensis）于 2009 年被列为台湾《野生动物保育法》下的濒危物种。然而，目前尚无研究评估病原体对台湾豹猫种群的直接或间接影响。在这里，我们通过分子筛选，针对病毒病原体，包括食肉动物细小病毒 1（属细小病毒）、猫白血病病毒（FeLV）、猫免疫缺陷病毒（FIV）、冠状病毒（CoV）和犬瘟热病毒（CDV）。评估了目标病原体的时空动态。通过测序和系统发育分析，我们阐明了从豹猫和家养食肉动物中分离出的病毒病原体的系统发育关系。2015 年至 2019 年，在台湾西北部苗栗县，我们从 23 只活捕的豹猫和 29 只死亡的豹猫中采集样本。在豹猫中检测到细小病毒和冠状病毒，其流行率（95%置信区间）分别为 63.5%（50.4%-76.6%）和 8.8%（0%-18.4%）。从台湾豹猫和家养食肉动物中扩增出的细小病毒序列大部分相同。从豹猫中扩增出的所有 CoV 序列均鉴定为猫 CoV。在采样区域内未发现豹猫细小病毒感染的空间或时间聚集，表明细小病毒在豹猫栖息地中广泛分布。我们认为，同域的家养食肉动物可能是已鉴定病原体的主要宿主。我们强烈建议在豹猫栖息地管理细小病毒和猫 CoV，特别是针对流浪犬和猫的疫苗接种计划和种群控制措施。
