Summary
Seneca
Valley Virus (SVV) infection has recently spread to pig farms in Canada,
America, and China. Humans, mice, and houseflies have been identified as
hosts and reservoirs.
Although
such cross-species transmission events are often limited, sustained
outbreaks in a new mammalian host can occur. To determine if mink are a
new mammalian host of SSV, we studied the molecular characteristics of
isolated SVV genomes and analyzed challenge,
pathology,
and immune response data. The study was the first systemic analysis of a
newly isolated strain of SVV from pigs. The strain caused an intestinal
infection with associated pathologic changes in mink. SVV stimulated the
production of a specific neutralizing antibody. The findings highlight
the importance of identifying SVV infection in mink and the host to
detect mutated SSV that could threaten livestock and pose public health
and economic risks.
Keywords: Seneca Valley Virus,
Cross-host
transmission, Mink