title: Pseudorabies virus infection (Aujeszky's disease) in an Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) in Spain: a case report.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The only natural hosts of Pseudorabies virus (PRV) are members of the family Suidae (Sus scrofa scrofa). In species other than suids infection is normally fatal. In these mammals, including carnivores, PRV typically causes serious neurologic disease. The endangered Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) is a wild feline endemic to south-western Europe (Iberian Peninsula). The Iberian lynx was found to be the world's most endangered felid species in 2002. In wild felines, PRV infection has only been previously reported once in a Florida panther in 1994. No seropositive lynxes have ever been found, nor has PRV been detected in dead Iberian lynxes to date.
  
  
  METHODS
  We describe the first reported case of pseudorabies in an Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus). Pseudorabies was diagnosed in a young wild Iberian lynx from Extremadura (SW Spain) by histopathological examination, immunohistochemistry, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequence analysis. Gross lesions included alopecia of the ventral neck, bloody gastro-intestinal contents and congestion of the brain. Histopathological analysis showed a moderate nonsuppurative meningoencephalitis with diffuse areas of demyelination, necrotizing gastritis and enteritis of the small intestine. Pseudorabies virus (PRV) antigen was found in neuronal and non-neuronal cells of the brain, tonsils, and gastric glandular epithelial cells by immunohistochemical analysis. The presence of the virus in the brain was confirmed by nested PCR. The sequence analysis of the 146 bp fragment (from the viral glycoprotein B gene) showed that the amplified sequence matched (with 100% identity) the PRV genome. Furthermore, specific DNA from glycoprotein D and E encoding-genes was detected by conventional and real-time PCR, respectively, confirming the latter that this infection was produced by a wild-type PRV strain.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study supports the suspicion that PRV could infect the Iberian lynx. The detection of PRV in a dead Iberian lynx suggests that the virus may have a negative impact on the survival of endangered lynxes in the wild. However, because this is the first verified instance of lynx mortality resulting from pseudorabies, its true impact on the population is unknown.
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Histología y Anatomía Patológica, Departamento de Medicina Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Extremadura, Avda. Universidad s.n., Cáceres, 10003, Spain. jahis@unex.es.
authors.forename: A Javier
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0713-7061
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Masot
authors.affiliation: Veterinary Teaching Hospital, University of Extremadura, Cáceres, Spain.
authors.forename: María
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gil
authors.affiliation: Innovación en Gestión y Conservación de Ungulados S.L., Cáceres, Spain.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Risco
authors.affiliation: Dirección General de Medio Ambiente, Consejería de Medio Ambiente y Rural, Junta de Extremadura, Spain.
authors.forename: Olga M
authors.initials: OM
authors.lastname: Jiménez
authors.affiliation: Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentàries (IRTA)-Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA), UAB-IRTA, Campus de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain.
authors.forename: José I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Núñez
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Histología y Anatomía Patológica, Departamento de Medicina Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Extremadura, Avda. Universidad s.n., Cáceres, 10003, Spain.
authors.forename: Eloy
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Redondo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D011558:Herpesvirus 1, Suid / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D046008:Lynx / Q000821:virology*; D008297:Male; D011557:Pseudorabies / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Aujeszky’s disease; Case report; Endangered species; Iberian lynx; Lynx pardinus; Pseudorabies virus; Suid Herpesvirus 1