Shaanxi Institute of Zoology, Xi'an, 710032, China.
College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450046, China.
Sci Rep. 2022 Apr 28;12(1):4989. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-08994-4.
Feline herpesvirus type 1 (FHV-1) is a common causative agent of domestic cats' rhinotracheitis in domestic cats, and it increasingly threatens wild felids worldwide. The endangered snow leopard (Panthera uncia) belongs to the family Felidae, and it is the top predator on the Tibetan Plateau. Here we report the identification and isolation of FHV-1 from three dead captive snow leopards that presented with sneezing and rhinorrhea. To explore the relationship between FHV-1 and their deaths, organs and nasal swabs were collected for histopathology, viral isolation and sequence analysis. The results revealed that all three snow leopards were infected with FHV-1. The first animal died primarily of cerebral infarction and secondary non-suppurative meningoencephalitis that was probably caused by FHV-1. The second animal died mainly of renal failure accompanied by interstitial pneumonia caused by FHV-1. The cause of death for the third animal was likely related to the concurrent reactivation of a latent FHV-1 infection. The gD and gE gene sequence alignment of the isolated FHV-1 isolate strain revealed that the virus likely originated from a domestic cat. It was found that FHV-1 infection can cause different lesions in snow leopards than in domestic cats and is associated with high risk of disease in wild felids. This suggests that there should be increased focus on protecting wild felids against FHV-1 infections originating from domestic cats.
猫疱疹病毒 1 型（FHV-1）是家猫鼻气管炎的常见病原体，它在全球范围内对野生猫科动物构成的威胁日益增加。濒危物种雪豹（ Panthera uncia ）属于猫科，是青藏高原的顶级掠食者。本研究报道了从 3 只患有打喷嚏和流鼻涕症状的圈养雪豹中分离到 FHV-1。为了探讨 FHV-1 与雪豹死亡之间的关系，收集了器官和鼻腔拭子进行组织病理学、病毒分离和序列分析。结果表明，这 3 只雪豹均感染了 FHV-1。第一只动物主要死于脑梗死和可能由 FHV-1 引起的非化脓性脑膜脑炎。第二只动物主要死于 FHV-1 引起的肾衰竭和间质性肺炎。第三只动物的死亡原因可能与潜伏 FHV-1 感染的同时再激活有关。分离株 FHV-1 的 gD 和 gE 基因序列比对表明，该病毒可能来源于家猫。研究发现，FHV-1 感染在雪豹中引起的病变与在家猫中不同，并与野生猫科动物的疾病高风险相关。这表明应该更加关注保护野生猫科动物免受源自家猫的 FHV-1 感染。
