Distribution of Pestivirus exposure in wild ruminants in Spain
Investigation article published in Transboundary and Emerging Diseases
May 1st, 2021
A large‐scale study was carried out to determine the prevalence of antibodies against Pestivirus species in wild ruminants and describe their spatial variation in mainland Spain. Serum samples of 1,874 wild ruminants from different regions of this country were collected between the years 2000 and 2017. A total of 6.6% (123/1,874) animals showed antibodies against Pestivirus by both blocking ELISA (bELISA) and virus neutralization tests (VNT). The prevalence of antibodies against pestiviruses was different both among species and regions. Seroprevalence by species was 30.0% (75/250) in Southern chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica), 7.0% (25/357) in fallow deer (Dama dama), 2.5% (10/401) in red deer (Cervus elaphus), 2.4% (8/330) in Iberian wild goat (Capra pyrenaica), 1.1% (4/369) in roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) and 0.8% (1/130) in mouflon (Ovis aries musimon), not detecting seropositivity (0/37) in Barbary sheep (Ammotragus lervia). The results confirm that exposure to pestiviruses was detected throughout mainland Spain, with significantly higher seroprevalence in Northern regions associated with presence of Southern chamois. This indicates an endemic circulation of pestiviruses in Southern chamois and a limited circulation of these viruses in the remaining wild ruminant species during the last two decades, thus suggesting that non‐chamois species are not true Pestivirus reservoirs in Spain. Nonetheless, the high spatial spread of these viruses points out that new epidemic outbreaks in naïve wild ruminant populations or transmission to livestock may occur, evidencing the usefulness of monitoring pestiviruses in wild ruminants, especially at the wildlife‐livestock interface
Jiménez-Ruiz S., Vicente J., Garcia-Bocanegra I., Cabezon O., Arnal MC., Balseiro A., Ruiz-Fons F., Gomez-Guillamon F., Lazaro S., Escribano F., Acevedo P., Dominguez L., Gortazar C., Fernandez de Luco D. and Risalde MA.
 | Sanidad y Biotecnología (SaBio). Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC). Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC). Universidad de Castilla La Mancha (UCLM). Gobierno de Castilla-La Mancha (JCCM). |
 | Departamento de Sanidad Animal. Facultad de Veterinaria. Universidad de Córdoba (UCO). |
 | Instituto de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentarias (IRTA). Generalitat de Catalunya. |
 | Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA). Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB). |
| Wildlife Ecology & Health group (WE&H). Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB). |
 | Departamento de Patología Animal. Facultad de Veterinaria. Universidad de Zaragoza (UNIZAR). |
 | Departamento de Sanidad Animal. Facultad de Veterinaria. Universidad de León. |
 | Programa de Vigilancia Epidemiológica. Consejería de Agricultura, Ganadería, Pesca y Desarrollo Sostenible (CAGPDS). Junta de Andalucía. |
 | Unidad Analítica Regional de Sanidad Animal (UARSA-LARAGA). Consejería de Agricultura y Ganadería. Gobierno de Castilla-La Mancha (JCCM). |
 | Programa de Conservación y Recuperación de Fauna Silvestre. Dirección General del Medio Natural de la Región de Murcia. Comunidad Autónoma de la Región de Murcia (CARM). |
 | Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET). Universidad Complutense (UCM). |
| Departamento de Anatomía y Anatomía Patológica Comparadas. Facultad de Veterinaria. Universidad de Córdoba (UCO). |
