A Case Study of Two Rodent-Borne Viruses: Not Always the Same Old Suspects (original) (raw)
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Lymphocytic choriomeningitis: An emerging and reemerging rodent-borne viral zoonotic disease
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Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis—Emerging Trends of a Neglected Virus: A Narrative Review
Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease, 2021
Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) is a neglected rodent-borne zoonotic virus distributed worldwide. Since serologic assays are limited to several laboratories, the disease has been underreported, often making it difficult to determine incidence and seroprevalence rates. Although human clinical cases are rarely recorded, LCMV remains an important cause of meningitis in humans. In addition, a fatal donor-derived LCMV infection in several clusters of solid organ transplant recipients further highlighted a pathogenic potential and clinical significance of this virus. In the transplant populations, abnormalities of the central nervous system were also found, but were overshadowed by the systemic illness resembling the Lassa hemorrhagic fever. LCMV is also an emerging fetal teratogen. Hydrocephalus, periventricular calcifications and chorioretinitis are the predominant characteristics of congenital LCMV infection, occurring in 87.5% of cases. Mortality in congenitally infected chi...
Trace-Forward Investigation of Mice in Response to Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus Outbreak
Emerging Infectious Diseases, 2014
Nichol, and the Multistate LCMV Outbreak Working Group 1 During follow-up of a 2012 US outbreak of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV), we conducted a traceforward investigation. LCMV-infected feeder mice originating from a US rodent breeding facility had been distributed to >500 locations in 21 states. All mice from the facility were euthanized, and no additional persons tested positive for LCMV infection.
Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus Infection in FVB Mouse Produces Hemorrhagic Disease
PLoS Pathogens, 2012
We report a case of acquired lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) infection due to an accidental percutaneous inoculation of LCMV at work. The injured worker developed a flu-like syndrome, followed by pericarditis and meningoencephalitis. Seroconversion was confirmed by ELISA. The patient made a complete recovery. We review measures undertaken to prevent a similar event and propose a follow-up protocol in the event of accidental LCMV exposure.
Emerging Infectious Diseases, 2014
We investigated the extent of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) infection in employees and rodents at 3 commercial breeding facilities. Of 97 employees tested, 31 (32%) had IgM and/or IgG to LCMV, and aseptic meningitis was diagnosed in 4 employees. Of 1,820 rodents tested in 1 facility, 382 (21%) mice (Mus musculus) had detectable IgG, and 13 (0.7%) were positive by reverse transcription PCR; LCMV was isolated from 8. Rats (Rattus norvegicus) were not found to be infected. S-segment RNA sequence was similar to strains previously isolated in North America. Contact by wild mice with colony mice was the likely source for LCMV, and shipments of infected mice among facilities spread the infection. The breeding colonies were depopulated to prevent further human infections. Future outbreaks can be prevented with monitoring and management, and employees should be made aware of LCMV risks and prevention.
Opportunistic Infections of Mice and Rats: Jacoby and Lindsey Revisited
ILAR Journal, 2008
Adventitious infections among rodents used in biomedical research and teaching continue to be problematic even with improved housing and disease-deterrent methodologies. In addition to well-documented viral diseases (e.g., mouse hepatitis virus and rodent parvoviruses) and parasites (mites and pinworms), new pathogens such as murine norovirus have emerged in recent years. Infectious agents can enter colonies via incoming rodent shipments, in unscreened biological materials, on people (especially husbandry or investigative staff) who move from a location where animals have a lower health status to an area where health status is higher and operational procedures are more stringent, or by introduction of contaminated food, bedding material, or other fomites. These factors, coupled with the very high volume of movement of rodents within and between institutions, increase the risk of spreading infectious agents. The challenge to the laboratory animal community is to implement control measures that halt the passage of these organisms from one location to another while still enabling collaborative scientific discovery to proceed with minimal disruption. It is therefore critical to make appropriate decisions about identifying outbreaks in a timely fashion and controlling the spread of infection once identified. Such efforts should be practical, reproducible, and cost-effective.
One current viral threat to wildlife or in captivity
Open Access Research Journal of Biology and Pharmacy, 2022
In general, it is assumed that there are many differences between human beings and other animal species. That may be true, but in terms of diseases caused by viruses and microorganisms that difference is much narrower. As André Lwoff, Nobel Prize winner in 1965, said, “viruses are viruses” and therefore the fact that they affect animal species makes no difference. Over the centuries, the human species has been threatened by various bacterial and viral pathogens. In this respect, animal species are not immune. Currently, a ribovirus (SARS-CoV-2) affects the human species presenting several variants, the last known being omicron. Likewise, in animals and initially in dogs, the Canine Vistemper virus was described, of which several genotypes are also known that make any vaccination plan tremble, including other families besides the Canidae. Due to the above, it is not unreasonable to propose CDV as a latent threat in animal species, wild or in captivity. A dizzying read…!!
Wildlife Research, 2009
Pest mammals have severe economic, environmental and social impacts throughout the world. Fertility control could reduce these impacts. Murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) is being considered as an immunocontraceptive vector to control outbreaks of house mice (Mus domesticus) in Australian grain-growing regions. For successful control, a modified MCMV must transmit at a sufficient rate to keep populations of house mice below acceptable economic thresholds. We used disease models developed previously by using observations of free-ranging wild-mouse populations to assess the transmission rate of two laboratory strains of MCMV (N1 and G4) collected in a previous experiment. Mice contained in pens were deliberately infected with the N1 strain only, or with the N1 strain followed by the G4 strain. If we assume density-dependent transmission, which is the more likely mode of transmission, we found the N1 strain of MCMV transmitted at a rate~1/300 of the rate of field strains, and hence too slowly for successful virally vectored immunocontraception (VVIC). If transmission was frequency-dependent, the rate of transmission was~1/3 of the rate of field strains, and hence may allow successful VVIC. The G4 strain transmitted at least as slowly as the N1 strain, and possibly much more slowly; however, we could not determine whether this was an inherent property of the G4 strain or whether it was caused by competition with the N1 strain. Given the reliance of successful VVIC on rapid transmission, we recommend that future work in any VVIC system explicitly quantifies the transmission rate of recombinant viruses relative to field strains, both in the presence and absence of competing strains.