Allendorf Valerie, Rubbenstroth Dennis, Schlottau Kore, Hoffmann Donata, Frank Christina, Amler Susanne, Beer Martin, Conraths Franz Josef, Homeier-Bachmann Timo
Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Institute of Epidemiology, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany.
Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany.
Zoonoses Public Health. 2021 Mar;68(2):110-120. doi: 10.1111/zph.12801. Epub 2021 Jan 11.
The newly described zoonotic variegated squirrel bornavirus 1 (VSBV-1) in German squirrel holdings has been associated with the death of three private owners and one zoo animal caretaker (confirmed cases). Epidemiological investigations were severely impeded by the general lack of data on holdings of the putative reservoir hosts, the family Sciuridae. To fill this lack of data for detailed epidemiological investigations of the captive squirrel population, a register of private and zoological squirrel holdings was established. The findings show a broad variety of kept species and their frequency distribution. By contacting the different stakeholders via Web-based social groups and societies, information passed in both directions so that disease awareness could be raised and participants could be recruited for further studies. Cross-sectional studies revealed a prevalence of VSBV-1-positive subpopulations of 0% (95% CI 0%-6.2%) among private squirrel collections and 1.9% (95% CI: 0%-9.9%) among zoos in Germany. The approach presented here can be transferred to other populations of non-traditional pets, which may be equally difficult to monitor, in the case of an emerging zoonotic infectious disease.
在德国松鼠养殖场新发现的人畜共患杂色松鼠博尔纳病毒1型（VSBV-1）与三名私人饲养者和一名动物园动物饲养员的死亡有关（确诊病例）。由于普遍缺乏关于假定宿主科松鼠科的养殖场数据，流行病学调查受到严重阻碍。为了填补这些数据空白，以便对圈养松鼠种群进行详细的流行病学调查，建立了一份私人和动物园松鼠养殖场登记册。调查结果显示了所饲养物种的广泛多样性及其频率分布。通过基于网络的社交群组和协会联系不同的利益相关者，信息得以双向传递，从而提高了疾病意识，并招募参与者进行进一步研究。横断面研究显示，德国私人松鼠养殖场中VSBV-1阳性亚群的患病率为0%（95%置信区间0%-6.2%），动物园中的患病率为1.9%（95%置信区间：0%-9.9%）。本文介绍的方法可应用于其他非传统宠物种群，在出现人畜共患传染病的情况下，这些种群可能同样难以监测。
