Fatal canine parvovirus type 2a and 2c infections in wild Chinese pangolins (Manis pentadactyla) insouthern China
Zhang Lina 1, Wang Kai2, An Fuyu2, Zhang Dongliang3, Zhang Hailing3, Xu Xuelin2, Guo Ce2, Yan Hongmei2, Kuang Yingjie2, Zhang Zhidong2, Lu Rongguang4*, Hua Yan2*
1. Eco‐Engineering Department, Guangdong Eco‐Engineering Polytechnic, Guangzhou 510520, China
2. Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Silviculture, Protection and Utilization, Guangdong Academy of Forestry, Guangzhou 510520, China
3. Key Laboratory of Special Animal Epidemic Disease of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Special Animals and Plants, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No. 4899 Juye Street Changchun 130112, Jilin Province, China
4. School of Medicine, Chinese University of Hongkong Shenzhen, No.2001 Longxiang Avenue, Shenzhen 518172, Guangdong Province, China
*Correspondence1: wildlife530@hotmail.com
*Correspondence2: lurongguang@cuhk.edu.cn
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Silviculture, Protection and Utilization, Guangdong Academy of Forestry, Guangzhou 510520, China.
Abstract: The Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla ) is a critically endangered scale-covered mammal belonging to the order Pholidota. Wild pangolins are notably susceptible to pathogen infection and are typically characterized by impoverished health. However, little is currently known regarding the viruses prevalent among pangolins. In this study, we report the detection of two subtypes of canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2), namely, CPV-2a and CPV-2c, both of which caused severe diarrheal disease in two post-rescue pangolins with fatal consequences. As in CPV-2-infected dogs, intensive lesion of the mucosal layer of the small intestines is a prominent feature in infected pangolins. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the VP2 viral protein sequences isolated from one pangolin were classified into the CPV-2c subclade, with 99.8% identities to a CPV-2c strain (MN832850) isolated from a Taiwanese pangolin found in Taiwan Province. In contrast, VP2 sequences obtained from the second pangolin were classified into the CPV-2a subclade, with 99.8% identities to a CPV-2a strain (KY386858) isolated from southern China. In this study, we thus confirmed the infection of pangolins with CPV-2c in mainland China and demonstrate that CPV-2a can also infect pangolins. Based on these findings, we recommend that further investigations should be conducted to establish the interspecies transmission of these viruses among wild pangolins, wild carnivores, and stray dogs.