NATIONAL VETERINARY LABORATORY P.O. Box 239, 1Tice Road Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417 877-NVL-LABS (877-685-5227) www.natvetlab.com NEWSLETTER Out of Africa: Pathogens and Pandemics© Evelyn E. Zuckerman, Editor Fall 2014 Vol. 13, Number 4

In This Issue: Likewise, there is evidence for the evolution of Again we have just returned from a wonderful Bartonella species with their animal hosts. African safari, this time to South Certain Bartonella species are only found in one Africa and Botswana, and the animal species (B. bacilliformis in humans) while Fall 2014 issue of the NVL others, such as B. henselae, have adapted to Newsletter will discuss several species (, dogs, humans).

Bartonella, FIV, FeLV and the With the advent of modern current African Ebola epidemic. Bartonella, FIV & FeLV in African Leopards transportation, the spread Southern Africa is one of the Animal Bartonella FIV FeLV of microorganisms among most diverse areas of the world with unmatched Leopards Yes Yes No and between species has plant kingdoms and rare and threatened animals. become extremely

efficient and rapid. Last Introduction: year on our flight home Once again Evelyn Zuckerman and I (Dr. Hardy) from Kenya and Tanzania were seated on our transatlantic flight home, after I read David Quammen’s book “Spillover,” about an exciting African safari to South Africa and the origins, in animals, of most of our new Botswana, when I began to think of a subject for zoonotic diseases. Approximately 80% of human our Fall 2014 Newsletter. This year we saw, and pathogens have originated from animals as Bartonella, FIV & FeLV in African Cheetahs photographed, descendants of the lions, leopards zoonotic infections. As he forecasted, a new re- Animal Bartonella FIV FeLV and cheetahs that we tested, almost 20 years ago, emergence of the current Ebola epidemic Yes Yes No for the feline , FeLV and FIV, and for occurred in West Africa this year. Cheetahs 1,2 Bartonella. We visited East Africa last year and were now traveling during the major Ebola The Pathogens: epidemic occurring in West Africa. African animals and their pathogens evolved

together. Endogenous retroviruses were

transmitted across species and then evolved in

their new species. FIV-like evolved in HIV origin 1920s Congo many African, and other wild cats worldwide, and became non-pathogenic in most cats.6 Unlike Ebola origin Bartonella, FIV & FeLV in African Hyenas 1976 Congo & feline , the human HIV , Animal Bartonella FIV FeLV Sudan derived zoonotically recently from chimps, has caused a worldwide epidemic killing millions of Hyenas ND Yes No Present Ebola people.7,8 Bartonella is also found in several outbreak species of African wildcats, many rodent species, West Africa bats and other animals and seems to have evolved

separately in each species.9,10 Although not a

feline pathogen, the canine distemper virus killed Our safari many lions in the Serengeti in the 1990s and

bovine TB continues to take its toll on African The African continent gave birth to mankind but lions.11,12 Following is a list of pathogens, in recent years has been the site of major threats common in domestic small animals, that are also Bartonella, FIV & FeLV in African Wild Dogs to the human race with the origin of HIV and the found in free-ranging African carnivores.13-17 Animal Bartonella FIV FeLV Ebola virus from African animals. Both viruses All animal pictures © by Dr. Hardy Wild Dogs Yes ND ND originated around Kinshasa in the Democratic 3,4 Republic of the Congo. Evolution has been the FeLV: To date, no FeLV has been found in any mechanism for animal divergence and variety but free-ranging African wildcats although there have it has also fostered the co-evolution of been several infected with FeLV while living in microorganisms along with their evolving animal captivity.13-17 The endogenous FeLV sequences are hosts or reservoirs. Some of the animal reservoirs present only in the members of the genus Felis and have become vectors enabling the more rapid are not found in African wildcats.5 Similar evolution of pathogens to adapt to new animal sequences are found in rats whose ancestors must host species. A good example of this Bartonella, FIV & FeLV in African Lions have infected an ancestor of domestic cats after phenomenon was the origin of FeLV, probably Animal Bartonella FIV FeLV they diverged from the rest of the family. somewhere near Egypt, by the trans-species Lions Yes Yes No* Domestic cat DNA also harbors RD-114 transmission of an endogenous of an * FeLV has been found in 2 captive lions that were ancestor of the rat, millions of years ago.5 exposed to domestic cats. endogenous sequences obtained from baboon of protein in areas where wild animals are in Conclusion: One Health- Africans and the ancestors in ancient Africa. short supply.19 They are often shot and then sold world must develop disease surveillance systems, covered in blood. Chimpanzees and gorillas are medical and veterinary infrastructure and personnel FIV: The FIV-like virus found in African cats to respond to the inevitable future new and re- (FIV-ple) is similar to the one we found in emerging zoonotic diseases. Safe and available food cougars in North America and quite different alternatives to “bush meat” must also be developed. from the pet cat FIV.18 FIV-ple is endemic in 9 Felidae and one Hyaenidae species.13-18 The References: 1. Osofsky, SA, Hirsch, KJ, Zuckerman, EE, and prevalence varies depending on the geographic Hardy, WD, JR. Feline lentivirus and feline oncovirus location and appears to have evolved along with status of free-ranging lions (Panthera leo), leopards each cat species. The virus is non-pathogenic in (Panthera pardus), and cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) in these African cats, much like we observed in the Fruit bats, the reservoir for the Ebola virus, roosting Botswana: A regional perspective. J. Zoo Wildl. Med. pumas in British Columbia, Canada.18 In in the dinning area in our lodge in Botswana. 27: 453-467, 1996. collaboration with Drs Steve Osofsky and Karen 2. VandeWoude S., O'Brien, SJ., Langelier, K., Hardy, Hirsch we found 8/31 (26%) lions, 3/18 (17%) also known Ebola virus vectors who will die from WD, JR., Slattery, JP, Zuckerman, EE, Hoover, EA. leopards, and 1/4 (25%) cheetahs infected in their infections. However bats do not die from Growth of lion and puma lentiviruses in domestic cat cells and comparisons with FIV. Virology 233: 185- Botswana in 1996.1 In 2003, with Moritz Van Ebola virus infection, thus they maintain the virus in tropical forests. Local people will often eat 192, 1997. Vuuren, we found FIV infection common in free- 3. WHO Ebola haemorrhagic fever in Sudan, 1976. ranging lions in Kruger National Park, SA 18/22 dead primates found on the forest floor and thus Report of a WHO/International Study Team Bull World (82%), Botswana 20/22 (91%), Zimbabwe 7/22 may become infected. Contact with these Health Organ 56(2):247–270 1978. (32%) but in none of the 18 lions from Hluhluwe- infected animals transmits the virus to people and 4. Report of an International Commission Ebola Umfolozi, SA.14 the zoonosis begins. There is serologic evidence haemorrhagic fever in Zaire, 1976. Bull World Health that the Ebola virus infects dogs in areas were Organ. 56(2):271–293 1978. epidemics have occurred but, unlike humans, 5. Benveniste, RE, Sherr, CJ & Todaro GJ. Evolution of Bartonella: type-C viral genes: Origin of . Bartonella have evolved with their animal hosts there has been no disease occurrence observed in infected dogs and they have not transmitted the Science 190:886-888, 1975. (co-evolution) for millions of years. In Africa, 20 6. Troyer, JL, et al., Seroprevalence and Genomic bats and many small rodents are infected disease to people. Divergence of Circulating Strains of Feline reservoirs for numerous Bartonella species. Immunodeficiency Virus among Felidae and Bartonella have been found in African ticks and One Health: Ebola & Veterinarians Hyaenidae Species. J. Virol 79:8282-8294, 2005. fleas in all countries sampled. Interestingly, fleas The One Health effort is of great importance in 7. Hahn BH, et al. AIDS as a zoonosis: Scientific and are not often found on large carnivores and combating the Ebola epidemic in West Africa. public health implications. Science 287:607–614, 2000. 8. Faria, NR, et al. The early spread and epidemic herbivores in Africa but are common on rodents. Dr. Steve Osofsky, Executive Director for ignition of HIV-1 in human populations. Science 346: Of course ticks parasitize numerous large African 56-61, 2014. animals and they often are infected with various Wildlife Health and Health Policy at the Wildlife 9. Molia, et al, Prevalence of Bartonella infection in Bartonella species. Studies have been done on Conservation Society. Our friend and previous wild African lions (Panthera leo) and cheetahs the prevalence of Bartonella in free-ranging collaborator, Dr. Steve Osofsky, gave an (Acinonyx jubatus). Vet Microbiol 20:31-41, 2004. African big cats. One study found serologic insightful interview on CNN recently and we will 10. Pretorius, A-M, Kuyl, JM, Isherwood, DR, and evidence of exposure in 19/113 (17%) African paraphrase his recommendations. Simply put, Dr. Birtles, RJ. Bartonella henselae in African Lion, South lions and 23/74 (31%) cheetahs- the country of Osofsky says we can be infected by viruses from Africa. Emerg Infect Dis 10:2257-2258, 2004. 11. Roelke-Parker, ME, et al., A canine distemper virus origin was not specified. 5% of 58 lions and 6% wild animals when we kill and eat or trade their body parts, when we capture and trade live epidemic in Serengeti lions (Panthera leo). Nature of 17 cheetahs were considered bacteremic by 379:441-445, 1996. 9 TaqMan PCR. The other study of 62 lions on a wildlife and mix species together in markets, and 12. Michel AL, et al. Wildlife tuberculosis in South game ranch in South Africa found 18 (29%) were when we move into wilderness areas. Bats are African conservation areas: implications and antibody positive by IFA.10 reservoirs for many viruses including SARS, challenges. Vet Microbiol. 112:91-100, 2006. Ebola, Nipah and rabies. Thus, we must work to 13. Brown, EW, Olmsted, RA, Martenson, JS and Origin of Zoonotic Pathogens: prevent the capture, killing and consumption of O’Brien, SJ. Exposure of FIV and FIPV in Wild and bats, the disruption of their roosting trees, and the Captive Cheetahs. Zoo Biology 12:135-142, 1993. Africa was and is a hot bed of human, animal, establishment of farms where they defecate and 14. Van Vuuren, M, STYLIANIDES, E, KANIA, SA, and microbe evolution and it is no wonder that urinate. The same can be said for primates, our Zuckerman, EE and Hardy, WD. Evaluation of an many of our new zoonotic diseases are still indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the closest relatives, who can be vectors for Ebola arising from animals on the African continent. detection of feline lentivirus reactive antibodies in wild virus. Food security is a basic human right and HIV and Ebola virus are but two that have arisen felids, employing a puma lentivirus-derived synthetic many people need to hunt “bush meat” to feed from Africa and more will inevitably follow. peptide antigen.Onderstepoort J.Vet. Res.70: 1–6, 2003. their families. We need to identify species that 15. Munson, L., et al., Serosurvey of viral infections in should be avoided if at all possible and provide free-ranging Namibian cheetahs (Acinonyx Jubatus). J Ebola alternative safe food species for these people. Wildlife Dis 40:23-31, 2004. Ebola virus, a filovirus, causes the disease Ebola 16. Roelke, ME, et al., Pathological manifestations of which is characterized by fever, vomiting, Dr. Oyewale Tomori, President of the Nigerian feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) infection in wild diarrhea, and sometimes bleeding. The first African lions. Virology 390:1-12, 2009. Academy of Science, a veterinarian, was the 17. Thalwitzer, S., et al., Seroprevalence to Viral outbreaks occurred almost simultaneously in WHO regional virologist for the African region 1976 in the former Zaire, now the Democratic Pathogens in Free-Ranging and Captive Cheetahs 3,4 in 1995 during the Ebola outbreak in Kikwit in (Acinonyx jubatus) on Namibian Farmland. Clin Republic of the Congo and neighboring Sudan. the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Vaccine Immunol 17:232-238, 2010. One of our early FeLV collaborators, Dr. Don After Dr. Tomori finished his talk on Ebola at the 18, Hardy, WD, JR, Zuckerman, EE and Langelier, K. Francis, a physician from the CDC who worked recent International Meeting on Emerging Possible "trans-species" transmission of a feline in Dr. Max Essex’s lab at Harvard, was sent to Diseases and Surveillance, there was stunned lentivirus from Pumas (Felis concolor) to domestic cats investigate this first outbreak. Since then there silence. Tomori, used his plenary lecture to (Felis catus). AIDS Res and Human Retroviruses 1996. have been about 27 different Ebola outbreaks that 19. Leroy, EM, et al. Human Ebola outbreak resulting deliver a scathing critique of how African from direct exposure to fruit bats in Luebo, Democratic have been quickly controlled until this current countries have handled the threat of Ebola and severe and long term outbreak in West Africa. Republic of Congo, 2007. Vector-borne and Zoonotic how corruption is hampering efforts to improve Diseases, 28, 2009. Presently there is no vaccine and 25-90% of health. Aid money often simply disappears, 20. Allela, I et al. Ebola virus antibody prevalence in infected people die. The virus is transmitted by Tomori charged, "and we are left dogs and human risk. Emerg Inf Dis., 11:385-90, 2005. direct contact with infected blood, body fluids, underdeveloped, totally and completely References can be obtained at: and tissues. Fruit bats are a natural reservoir of www.nlm.nih.gov/ or natvetlab.com unprepared to tackle emerging pathogens." © the Ebola virus and they are an important source Reference- ProMed Digest Vol. 29, 11-8-2014. National Veterinary Laboratory, Inc., 2014