title: African horse sickness and African carnivores.
abstract: African horse sickness (AHS) is a disease that affects equids, and is principally transmitted by Culicoides spp. that are biological vectors of AHS viruses (AHSV). The repeated spread of AHSV from sub-Saharan Africa to the Middle East, northern Africa and the Iberian peninsula indicate that a better understanding of AHS epizootiology is needed. African horse sickness has long been known to infect and cause mortality among domestic dogs that ingest virus contaminated meat, but it is uncertain what role carnivores play in transmission of the virus. We present evidence of widespread natural AHS infection among a diversity of African carnivore species. We hypothesize that such infection resulted from ingestion of meat and organs from AHS-infected prey species. The effect of AHS on the carnivores is unknown, as is their role in the maintenance cycle of the disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, 95616, USA. szkathy@dale.ucdavis.edu
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Alexander
authors.forename: P W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Kat
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: House
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: House
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: O'Brien
authors.forename: M K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Laurenson
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: McNutt
authors.forename: B I
authors.initials: BI
authors.lastname: Osburn
mesh_terms: D000349:Africa / Q000453:epidemiology; D000355:African Horse Sickness / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission; D000356:African Horse Sickness Virus / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic; D000835:Animals, Wild; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D002335:Carnivora; D002415:Cats; D004285:Dogs; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral