Molecular screening of selected RNA viruses in neotropical wild felids of Brazil
9 affiliations
- 1Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Júlio de Mesquita Filho, Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil
- 2Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- 3Grupo de Epidemiología y Sanidad Ambiental, Centro de Investigación en Sanidad Animal, INIA-CSIC, Madrid, Spain
- 4Laboratório de Virologia Comparada e Ambiental, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- 5Instituto Baleia Jubarte, Bahia, Brazil
- 6Panthera, New York, New York, United States of America
- 7Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservação de Mamíferos Carnívoros, Atibaia, São Paulo, Brazil
- 8Zoológico Municipal Quinzinho de Barros, Sorocaba, São Paulo, Brazil
- 9Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade de Sorocaba, Sorocaba, São Paulo, Brazil
Abstract
Astrovirus, cardiovirus and rotavirus are RNA viruses widely distributed among humans, domestic and wild mammals, including felids, occasionally associated with fatal outbreaks and highly resistant to environmental conditions. Despite this, there are no reports of these viruses in New World felids. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of astrovirus, rotavirus and cardiovirus in non-domestic felids under human care or in the wild, across multiple Brazilian biomes (i.e., Amazon Forest, Atlantic Forest, Caatinga, and Cerrado). Biological samples (e.g., blood, oral and rectal swabs, and frozen tissues) were submitted to reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for astrovirus detection and real-time RT-PCR for rotavirus and cardiovirus, followed by sequencing. Fifty wild felids were analyzed, comprising 40 free-ranging and 10 captive animals: 19 ocelots (Leopardus pardalis), 12 pumas (Puma concolor), seven jaguarundis (Herpailurus yagouaroundi), six southern tiger cats (Leopardus guttulus), three margays (Leopardus wiedii) and three jaguars (Panthera onca). An astrovirus was detected in rectal swab of a healthy captive southern tiger cat, while a genotype G3P[3] Rotavirus alphagastroenteritidis (Rotavirus A) was detected in intestine of a roadkill puma. All felid samples were negative for cardiovirus. Morphological analyses of available formalin-fixed tissues of the rotavirus-positive puma were inconclusive due to autolysis. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first molecular detection of astrovirus and rotavirus in Neotropical wild felid species.
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BibTeX
@article{colpani2026molecular,
title = {{Molecular screening of selected RNA viruses in neotropical wild felids of Brazil}},
author = {Michelle Colpani and Aricia Duarte-Benvenuto and Carlos Sacristán and Marina Galvão Bueno and Marcia Terezinha Baroni de Moraes and Roberta Zamana-Ramblas and Bárbara Sophia Codeas and Pedro Enrique Navas-Suarez and María Alejandra Arias-Lugo and Ronaldo Gonçalves Morato and Rose Lilian Gasparini-Morato and Rodrigo Hidalgo Friciello Teixeira and Sheila Canevese Rahal and José Luiz Catão-Dias},
journal = {PLOS One},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0359169},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0359169},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Molecular screening of selected RNA viruses in neotropical wild felids of Brazil
AU - Michelle Colpani
AU - Aricia Duarte-Benvenuto
AU - Carlos Sacristán
AU - Marina Galvão Bueno
AU - Marcia Terezinha Baroni de Moraes
AU - Roberta Zamana-Ramblas
AU - Bárbara Sophia Codeas
AU - Pedro Enrique Navas-Suarez
AU - María Alejandra Arias-Lugo
AU - Ronaldo Gonçalves Morato
AU - Rose Lilian Gasparini-Morato
AU - Rodrigo Hidalgo Friciello Teixeira
AU - Sheila Canevese Rahal
AU - José Luiz Catão-Dias
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/16
JO - PLOS One
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0359169
UR - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0359169
AB - Astrovirus, cardiovirus and rotavirus are RNA viruses widely distributed among humans, domestic and wild mammals, including felids, occasionally associated with fatal outbreaks and highly resistant to environmental conditions. Despite this, there are no reports of these viruses in New World felids. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of astrovirus, rotavirus and cardiovirus in non-domestic felids under human care or in the wild, across multiple Brazilian biomes (i.e., Amazon Forest, Atlantic Forest, Caatinga, and Cerrado). Biological samples (e.g., blood, oral and rectal swabs, and frozen tissues) were submitted to reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for astrovirus detection and real-time RT-PCR for rotavirus and cardiovirus, followed by sequencing. Fifty wild felids were analyzed, comprising 40 free-ranging and 10 captive animals: 19 ocelots (Leopardus pardalis), 12 pumas (Puma concolor), seven jaguarundis (Herpailurus yagouaroundi), six southern tiger cats (Leopardus guttulus), three margays (Leopardus wiedii) and three jaguars (Panthera onca). An astrovirus was detected in rectal swab of a healthy captive southern tiger cat, while a genotype G3P[3] Rotavirus alphagastroenteritidis (Rotavirus A) was detected in intestine of a roadkill puma. All felid samples were negative for cardiovirus. Morphological analyses of available formalin-fixed tissues of the rotavirus-positive puma were inconclusive due to autolysis. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first molecular detection of astrovirus and rotavirus in Neotropical wild felid species.
SN - 1932-6203
ER -