Canine Circovirus in Foxes from Northern Italy: Where Did It All Begin?
Giovanni Franzo,
Maria Luisa Menandro,
Claudia Maria Tucciarone,
Giacomo Barbierato,
Lorenzo Crovato,
Alessandra Mondin,
Martina Libanora,
Federica Obber,
Riccardo Orusa,
Serena Robetto,
Carlo Citterio,
Laura Grassi
Affiliations
Giovanni Franzo
Department of Animal Medicine, Production and Health (MAPS), University of Padua, 35020 Legnaro, Italy
Maria Luisa Menandro
Department of Animal Medicine, Production and Health (MAPS), University of Padua, 35020 Legnaro, Italy
Claudia Maria Tucciarone
Department of Animal Medicine, Production and Health (MAPS), University of Padua, 35020 Legnaro, Italy
Giacomo Barbierato
Department of Animal Medicine, Production and Health (MAPS), University of Padua, 35020 Legnaro, Italy
Lorenzo Crovato
Department of Animal Medicine, Production and Health (MAPS), University of Padua, 35020 Legnaro, Italy
Alessandra Mondin
Department of Animal Medicine, Production and Health (MAPS), University of Padua, 35020 Legnaro, Italy
Martina Libanora
O.U. of Ecopathology, SCT2 Belluno, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie (IZSVe), 32100 Belluno, Italy
Federica Obber
O.U. of Ecopathology, SCT2 Belluno, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie (IZSVe), 32100 Belluno, Italy
Riccardo Orusa
S.C. Valle d.’Aosta—National Reference Centre Wildlife Diseases, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta (IZS PLV)—Ce.R.M.A.S., 11020 Quart, AO, Italy
Serena Robetto
S.C. Valle d.’Aosta—National Reference Centre Wildlife Diseases, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta (IZS PLV)—Ce.R.M.A.S., 11020 Quart, AO, Italy
Carlo Citterio
O.U. of Ecopathology, SCT2 Belluno, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie (IZSVe), 32100 Belluno, Italy
Laura Grassi
Department of Animal Medicine, Production and Health (MAPS), University of Padua, 35020 Legnaro, Italy
Canine circovirus (CanineCV) is a recently identified virus affecting both domestic and wild carnivores, including foxes, sometimes in presence of severe clinical signs. Its circulation in wild animals can thus represent a potential threat for endangered species conservation and an infection source for dogs. Nevertheless, no data were available on its circulation in the Alps region of Northern Italy. In the present study, samples collected from 186 foxes in the period 2009–2020 from Valle d’Aosta and Veneto regions were tested using a real-time PCR assay, demonstrating a viral circulation of approximatively 2–5%, depending on the considered regions. Two complete or almost complete genome sequences were obtained, highlighting that the detected strains were part of a so defined “fox only” clade, which suggests that, despite common contact opportunities, Alps foxes are not involved in frequent transmission events to domestic dogs. Such genetic isolation could be at least partially attributed to some sort of independent evolution occurred in the foxes, leading to species barrier. Additionally, CanineCV strains in foxes from Italy were unexpectedly related to those previously identified in foxes from the United Kingdom and Scandinavian area. Combining the history of fox distribution in Europe since the last glacial maximum (LGM) with the viral history allowed us to speculate a long-standing coexistence between European canine circovirus and this host, justifying the peculiar geographic distribution and evolutionary paths of the fox infecting clade.
