African swine fever (ASF) is currently one of the most severe viral infections of domestic pigs, wild boars, and other hosts belonging to Suidae family. ASF is also considered as the most complex and devastating infectious and haemorrhagic disease of swine due to its severe socio-economic impact and transboundary character. ASF it is a notifiable disease and due to the lack of specific treatment and vaccine, the disease can be only limited by the administrative measures comprising wild boar hunting and stamping out of affected pigs. ASF occurred for the first time in Kenya in 1921 while in Europe (Portugal) the virus was detected at the end of the 1950s. In spite of successful eradication of this threat in a number of affected regions, the virus remains endemic in both feral and domestic pigs in Africa and Sardinia. The ‘new era’ of ASF started in 2007 after its re-introduction to Georgia. Following its intensive expansion, the virus spread to other Caucasian countries, including the territory of the Russian Federation. In 2014 the virus reached Ukraine, Belarus, and, consequently, European Union countries: Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Poland. The occurrence of ASF in wild boars and pigs had a severe impact on both epidemiology and economy because of the national and international transport and trade consequences. Up to date, starting from the February 2014, eighty ASF cases in wild boar and three outbreaks in domestic pigs have been diagnosed. Taking into account the diverse rate of spread in Poland, this review aims to present and discuss the current state of knowledge on ASF including its epidemiology, pathology, transmission, and perspectives of control.

Introduction: Recently in Europe an increase in the population of red deer (Cervus elaphus), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), and fallow deer (Dama dama) has been observed. Research on the prevalence of Leptospira infections in Polish cervids has been performed for the first time.Material and Methods: During 2014/2015 hunting season, 147 blood samples from red deer, roe deer, and fallow deer were collected. The animals originated from different geographical regions across Poland. Serum samples were tested by microscopic agglutination test (MAT) for the presence of specific antibodies to the following Leptospira serovars: Icterohaemorrhagiae, Grippotyphosa, Sejroe, Tarassovi, Pomona, Canicola, Bratislava, Hardjo, Ballum, Zanoni, Hebdomadis, and Poi.Results: Serum antibody titres specific to Grippotyphosa, Pomona, and Zanoni serovars were found; none of the sera were positive for any of the other serovars. Out of 147 serum samples only 7 were positive, which gave an overall prevalence of 4.8% in the tested animal population.Conclusion: The low Leptospira antibody titres along with the low number of positive serum samples in deer indicate that these animals may not act as significant reservoirs of Leptospira for either humans or animals in Poland.

Derzsy’s disease and Muscovy duck parvovirus disease have become common diseases in waterfowl culture in the world and their potential to cause harm has risen. The causative agents are goose parvovirus (GPV) and Muscovy duck parvovirus (MDPV), which can provoke similar clinical symptoms and high mortality and morbidity rates. In recent years, duck short beak and dwarfism syndrome has been prevalent in the Cherry Valley duck population in eastern China. It is characterised by the physical signs for which it is named. Although the mortality rate is low, it causes stunting and weight loss, which have caused serious economic losses to the waterfowl industry. The virus that causes this disease was named novel goose parvovirus (NGPV). This article summarises the latest research on the genetic relationships of the three parvoviruses, and reviews the aetiology, epidemiology, and necropsy characteristics in infected ducks, in order to facilitate further study.

Canine parvovirus (CPV) disease is one of the most threatening to domestic and wild dogs. A total of 132 clinical samples were isolated from domestic dogs with diarrhoea from Henan, Hubei, Jiangsu, and Anhui provinces from 2016 to 2017, and 56 were positive for CPV-2 by PCR. A phylogenetic tree was constructed for the isolate sequences incorporating 53 non-Chinese reference strains. VP2 sequences showed the strains mainly to be new CPV-2a/2b and CPV-2c genotypes. The Ala5Gly, Phe267Tyr, Ser297Ala, Tyr324Ile, Gln370Arg, Asn426Asp or Asn426Glu, and Thr440Ala sites in the VP2 protein antigenic region were found to have high mutation rates. The VP2 tertiary structural model shows that the change at these mutation points is a factor for the changes in the protein structure. Significant differences between the Central Chinese strains and others were found, indicating that evolution is geographically related and extended in major regions. The homology between the identified strains confirmed their relationship. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the common genotypes in the same clusters differ slightly in homology and evolutionary history. This epidemiological study enriches the available data and serves as an important reference for studies on the evolution of CPV and selection of vaccines in China.

Introduction: Laryngeal swab samples collected from three waterfowl slaughterhouses in central Taiwan were cultured and suspected isolates of Riemerella anatipestifer were identified by API 20NE and 16S rDNA PCR. Material and Methods: Serum agglutination was used for serotyping, and antimicrobial susceptibility was tested. Results: Seventy-six R. anatipestifer isolates were detected, and the prevalences in the ducks and geese were 12.3% (46/375) and 8.0% (30/375), respectively. The positive isolation rates were 65.6% for all arriving waterfowl, 76.0% for birds in the holding area, 1.6% for defeathered carcasses, but zero for degummed carcasses. A PCR examination detected R. anatipestifer in the slaughtering area frequently. Serotype B was dominant in both duck (34.8%) and goose (46.7%) isolates, but the wide serotype distribution may very well impede vaccination development. All isolates were resistant to colistin, and 79.7% were resistant to more than three common antibiotics. Conclusion: The results proved that most ducks had encountered antibiotic-resistant R. anatipestifer in rearing, which suggests that the bacterium circulates in asymptomatic waterfowl. It is worth noting that most waterfowl farms were found to harbour R. anatipestifer, and contaminated slaughterhouses are a major risk factor in its spread. Effective prevention and containment measures should be established there to interrupt the transmission chain of R. anatipestifer.

Coronaviruses (CoVs) are a large group of enveloped viruses with a single-strand RNA genome, which continuously circulate in mammals and birds and pose a threat to livestock, companion animals, and humans. CoVs harboured by avian species are classified to the genera gamma- and deltacoronaviruses. Within the gamma-CoVs the main representative is avian coronavirus, a taxonomic name which includes the highly contagious infectious bronchitis viruses (IBVs) in chickens and similar viruses infecting other domestic birds such as turkeys, guinea fowls, or quails. Additionally, IBVs have been detected in healthy wild birds, demonstrating that they may act as the vector between domestic and free-living birds. Moreover, CoVs other than IBVs, are identified in wild birds, which suggests that wild birds play a key role in the epidemiology of other gammaCoVs and deltaCoVs. Development of molecular techniques has significantly improved knowledge of the prevalence of CoVs in avian species. The methods adopted in monitoring studies of CoVs in different avian species are mainly based on detection of conservative regions within the viral replicase, nucleocapsid genes, and 3’UTR or 5’UTR. The purpose of this review is to summarise recent discoveries in the areas of epidemiology and diagnosis of CoVs in avian species and to understand the role of wild birds in the virus distribution.

Introduction: Several Mycoplasma species can cause severe diseases in ruminant hosts, some of which are the diseases listed by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). The role of the Cervidae family in carrying and transmitting ruminant mycoplasma infections in Poland is unknown. Material and Methods: Antibody and antigen detection tests for the main mycoplasma species that can affect wild ruminants were performed on 237 samples (serum, nasal swab, bronchoalveolar lavage, and lung) collected from 161 animals during 2011-2014. The samples were obtained from a cull of healthy population of deer which included: 96 red deer (Cervus elaphus elaphus), 19 fallow deer (Dama dama), and 46 roe deer (Capreolus capreolus). Results: Serological screening tests revealed positive reactions to Mycoplasma bovis in one sample and to Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capripneumoniae in three samples; however, these three samples were negative by immunoblotting. Other antibody and antigen detection tests demonstrated negative results. Conclusion: Currently wild cervids in Poland do not play a significant role in transmitting mycoplasma infections to domestic animals, but they remain a potential risk.

Introduction: The current study was designed to detect Mycoplasma agalactiae (Ma), Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. capri (Mmc), Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capricolum (Mcc) and Mycoplasma putrefaciens (Mp) in sheep and goats with clinical signs consistent with contagious agalactia.Material and Methods: A total of 299 samples were collected from 55 mixed herds in Azarbaijan-e-Sharghi province, Iran. Samples were examined using PCR and culture methods.Results: The findings showed that in 40 herds at least one sample was positive by PCR or culture method. Moreover, out of 274 sheep samples, 101 were proved to be positive using the PCR technique and 76 were found positive using the culture method. Out of 25 goat samples, 10 were found positive using PCR and 9 were positive through the culture method. Less than 20% of isolated mycoplasmas were Ma. Ma was detected from almost all studied regions in the province while Mmc, Mcc, and Mp were detected only in a very limited area that was deemed by the research group the mixed infection zone.Conclusion: In vaccination or eradication projects, it would be more economical to focus on mixed infection zones. Further investigation on mixed infection zones could facilitate better understanding of contagious agalactia epidemiology.

Antimicrobial resistance is a global health threat. It has been studied in humans and domestic animals, but there is a lack of data on wild animals. The objective of this study is the elucidation of its patterns in Staphylococcus spp. isolated from wild mammals of the Autonomous Community of Aragón (Spain). A total of 103 mammals (Artiodactyla, Carnivora, Chiroptera, Erinaceomorpha, and Lagomorpha) were studied. A recovery centre provided 32 and hunting 71. Nasal and faecal samples yielded 111 staphylococci, which were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization–time of flight mass spectrometry. A susceptibility test to 11 antibiotics was carried out, and statistical analysis was performed. Some differences were detected in bacterial prevalence depending on how the mammal fed. Artiodactyla, mainly hunted, were predisposed to carry coagulase-positive staphylococci. The staphylococci species recovered were resistant to at least two classes of antibiotics, and were disseminated in all of the geographical areas studied. Resistant staphylococci are widely distributed in the wild mammals in the areas of the study, but the resistance quantified in them is lower than that to be expected if the use of antibiotics in farms had a direct influence on the wildlife and its environment. On the other hand, resistance to antibiotics restricted to human use was widely disseminated in various wild animal species.

The roles of wildlife in rabies transmission are still underestimated in many parts of the world. In the developed countries, epidemiology of rabies considering wildlife has been well documented. However, in the least developed and developing countries, emphasis has not given on this issue. Human population is increasing all over the world, and new localities are continuously developing. As a result, wildlife territory is decreasing, and the animals are coming in close contact with humans. Besides, many people are keeping wildlife as the sources of their pleasures. Due to the increased interaction among wildlife, domestic animals and human there is need to intensify efforts on mass education and building of awareness on the risks of rabies spreading by the wildlife, and to institute effective preventive measures to control over the disease. In this mini-review, roles of wildlife in epidemiology of rabies has been discussed considering the dynamics of wildlife in relation with associated intrinsic and extrinsic factors. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2017; 4(2.000): 117-124]