title: Monitoring chronic infection with a field strain of Aleutian mink disease virus.
abstract: Aleutian mink disease virus (AMDV) readily spread within farmed mink and causes chronic infections with significant impacts for welfare and economy. In the present study a currently circulating Danish AMDV strain was used to induce chronic experimental infection of farmed mink. PCR was used to detect viral DNA in full blood, organs, faeces and oro-nasal swabs weekly for the first 8 weeks and then biweekly for another 16 weeks after AMDV challenge inoculation of wild type mink. The mink (n=29) was infected and seroconverted 2-3 weeks after AMDV inoculation and AMDV antibodies persisted during the maximum experimental period of 24 weeks. Viraemia and faecal excretion of viral DNA was detected in the mink (n=29) at various and intermittent time intervals. Excretion of viral DNA in oro-nasal swabs was detected for 1-8 weeks in 21 mink. This highlights the risk of transmitting AMDV between infected farms. PCR was successfully used to detect viral DNA in organs 8, 16 and 24 weeks after AMDV inoculation with only minor differences between these weeks which is of diagnostic interest. This AMDV challenge model was also used to mimic natural infection of susceptible sapphire mink. Four of 6 sapphire mink were infected indirectly via the AMDV inoculated wild type mink whereas the other 2 sapphire mink remained uninfected.
authors.affiliation: National Veterinary Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Hangøvej 2, DK-8200 Aarhus, Denmark. Electronic address: trine@bio.aau.dk.
authors.forename: Trine Hammer
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Jensen
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Disease Biology, University of Copenhagen, Ridebanevej 3, DK-1870 Frederiksberg C, Denmark.
authors.forename: Anne Sofie
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Hammer
authors.affiliation: National Veterinary Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Hangøvej 2, DK-8200 Aarhus, Denmark; National Veterinary Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Bülowsvej 27, DK-1870 Frederiksberg C, Denmark.
authors.forename: Mariann
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chriél
mesh_terms: D000453:Aleutian Mink Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D000454:Aleutian Mink Disease Virus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003378:Counterimmunoelectrophoresis; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003718:Denmark; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D008907:Mink / Q000821:virology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014766:Viremia / Q000276:immunology / Q000662:veterinary
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D004279:DNA, Viral
keywords: AMDV; Aleutian mink disease virus; Chronic experimental infection; Counter current immunoelectrophoresis; Mink; PCR