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Amdoparvoviruses infect various carnivores, including mustelids, canids, skunks, and felids. Aleutian mink disease virus (AMDV) belongs to the prototypical species Amdoparvovirus carnivoran1. Here, we identified a novel amdoparvovirus in farmed Asian badgers (Meles meles), and we named this virus \"Meles meles amdoparvovirus\" (MMADV). A total of 146 clinical samples were collected from 134 individual badgers, and 30.6% (41/134) of the sampled badgers tested positive for amdoparvovirus by PCR. Viral DNA was detected in feces, blood, spleen, liver, lung, and adipose tissue from these animals. Viral sequences from eight samples were determined, five of which represented nearly full-length genome sequences (4,237-4,265 nt). Six serum samples tested positive by PCR, CIEP, and IAT, four of which had high antibody titers (> 512) against AMDV-G. Twenty-six of the 41 amdoparvovirus-positive badgers showed signs of illness, and necropsy revealed lesions in their organs. Sequence comparisons and phylogenetic analysis of the viral NS1 and VP2 genes of these badger amdoparvoviruses showed that their NS1 proteins shared 62.6%-88.8% sequence identity with known amdoparvoviruses, and they clustered phylogenetically into two related clades. The VP2 proteins shared 76.6%-97.2% identity and clustered into two clades, one of which included raccoon dog and arctic fox amdoparvovirus (RFAV), and the other of which did not include other known amdoparvoviruses. According to the NS1-protein-based criterion for parvovirus species demarcation, the MMADV isolate from farm YS should be classified as a member of a new species of the genus Amdoparvovirus. In summary, we have discovered a novel MMADV and other badger amdoparvoviruses that naturally infect Asian badgers and are possibly pathogenic in badgers.

Alaska Native elders remember wartime invasion, relocation, and land reclamation The US government justified its World War II occupation of Alaska as a defense against Japan's invasion of the Aleutian Islands, but it equally served to advance colonial expansion in relation to the geographically and culturally diverse Indigenous communities affected. Offering important Alaska Native experiences of this history, Holly Miowak Guise draws on a wealth of oral histories and interviews with Indigenous elders to explore the multidimensional relationship between Alaska Natives and the US military during the Pacific War. The forced relocation and internment of Unangax̂ in 1942 proved a harbinger of Indigenous loss and suffering in World War II Alaska. Violence against Native women, assimilation and Jim Crow segregation, and discrimination against Native servicemen followed the colonial blueprint. Yet Alaska Native peoples took steps to enact their sovereignty and restore equilibrium to their lives by resisting violence and disrupting attempts at US control. Their subversive actions altered the colonial structures imposed upon them by maintaining Indigenous spaces and asserting sovereignty over their homelands. A multifaceted challenge to conventional histories, Alaska Native Resilience shares the experiences of Indigenous peoples from across Alaska to reveal long-overlooked demonstrations of Native opposition to colonialism.

This volume presents the up-to-date results of investigations into the Asian origins of the only two languages families of North America, Eskaleut and Na-Dene, that are widely acknowledged as having likely genetic links in northern Asia.

Aleutian mink disease virus (AMDV) is known to cause the most significant disease in the mink industry. It is globally widespread and manifested as a deadly plasmacytosis and hyperglobulinemia. So far, measures to control the viral spread have been limited to manual serological testing for AMDV-positive mink. Further, due to the persistent nature of this virus, attempts to eradicate Aleutian disease (AD) have largely failed. Therefore, effective strategies to control the viral spread are of crucial importance for wildlife protection. One potentially key tool in the fight against this disease is by the immunization of mink against AMDV. Throughout many years, several researchers have tried to develop AMDV vaccines and demonstrated varying degrees of protection in mink by those vaccines. Despite these attempts, there are currently no vaccines available against AMDV, allowing the continuation of the spread of Aleutian disease. Herein, we summarize previous AMDV immunization attempts in mink as well as other preventative measures with the purpose to shed light on future studies designing such a potentially crucial preventative tool against Aleutian disease.

Background Aleutian mink disease, mink viral enteritis and canine distemper are known as the three most serious diseases that cause great economic loss in the mink industry. In clinical practice, aleutian mink disease virus (AMDV), mink enteritis virus (MEV) and canine distemper virus (CDV) are common mixed infections, and they have similar clinical clinical signs, such as diarrhoea. Therefore, a rapid and accurate differential diagnosis method for use on mink ranches is essential for the control of these three pathogens. Here, we developed multiplex one-step real-time quantitative PCR (RT‒qPCR) assays for the simultaneous detection and quantification of AMDV, MEV and CDV by using three primers and probes based on the conserved NS1, VP2 and N genes, respectively. Results The results showed that the established method can not cross-react with other mink pathogens, with a detection sensitivity of 25 copies/µL and a coefficient of variation less than 3.51%. Moreover, the interference experiment showed that the presence of AMDV, MEV and CDV templates at different concentrations would not interfere with the detection results. Furthermore, two hundred clinical samples of mink with diarrhoea were simultaneously analysed using multiplex RT‒qPCR and single RT‒qPCR, the Kappa values were all greater than 0.921, indicating that there was a high degree of coincidence between the two detection methods. Conclusions In conclusion, multiplex RT‒qPCR exhibited high specificity, sensitivity, and reproducibility, indicating that this method can be used as a reliable and specific tool for the differential detection and quantification of AMDV, MEV and CDV.

Invasive alien species pose a major threat to ecosystems by outcompeting native species for resources, altering habitats, enabling potential genetic hybridisation and introducing pathogens into the environment. An understanding of the factors that determine virus transfer between invasive and native species is crucial to the mitigation of the negative impact of the pathogens introduced. This study presents a comprehensive analysis of factors influencing Aleutian mink disease virus (AMDV) infection in native mustelids in Poland, following its introduction by feral American mink. AMDV seroprevalence in American mink varied spatially from 0 in the central and southern regions to 0.8 in the northern regions. Antibodies to AMDV were detected in all six studied mustelids, including a novel finding in weasels. AMDV seroprevalence in other mustelids correlated positively with its occurrence in American mink, and reached 0.54 in areas with the highest mink AMDV seroprevalence. Furthermore, in native mustelids, more closely phylogenetically related to mink, AMDV seroprevalence was higher (0.68 in polecats and weasels) compared to more distantly related species (0.37 in badgers). Over the 27‐year study period, AMDV seroprevalence in mustelids has increased from 0.04 to 0.60, despite a decline in seroprevalence in feral mink in subsequent years. These findings suggest that the spread of viral infections as a result of the introduction of invasive species could affect mustelid species and may intensify over time.

Amdoparvoviruses, encompassing the well-characterized Aleutian mink disease viruses (AMDV) as well as less investigated viruses infecting both captive and wild animals, are important carnivoran viruses that are significant pathogens in the mink farming industry. We investigated the molecular epidemiology of amdoparvoviruses among Danish wildlife. Spleen samples from 118 animals of seven carnivoran species were screened with a pan-amdoparvovirus PCR, and the identified viruses were molecularly characterized. In one of five European badgers (Meles meles), we identified an AMDV-3 strain whose ancestors were likely of farmed mink origin. This virus was last reported on a mink farm in 2002, demonstrating how farm-derived viruses have established themselves among wildlife. We also discovered and fully characterized a novel virus found in five of 81 (6.2%) foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and one of five badgers (20.0%), which we named fox and badger amdoparvovirus 1 (FBAV-1). FBAV-1 fulfills the criteria for classification as a novel species and phylogenetically is positioned as an intermediate between the North American and Eurasian amdoparvoviral clades. This study provides baseline data and expands our understanding of amdoparvoviral ecology. Further studies including more animals across diverse geographic areas are warranted to clarify amdoparvovirus epidemiology, spread, cross-species transmission, epidemic potential, and evolutionary paths.

Aleutian disease (AD) is a devastating infectious disease in American mink ( Neogale vison ) industry caused by Aleutian mink disease virus (AMDV). Two crucial steps toward controlling infectious diseases in farm animals are: (i) assessment of the infection risk factors to minimize the likelihood of infection and (ii) selection of animals with superior immune responses against pathogens to build tolerant farms. This study aimed to investigate AD risk factors and evaluate a novel “ImmunAD” approach for genetic improvement of AD tolerance. Phenotypic records and pedigree information of 1,366 and 24,633 animals were included in this study. The risk of animal’s age, sex, color type, and year of sampling on AMDV infection was assessed using a logistic regression model and counter immune-electrophoresis (CIEP) test results. ImmunAD phenotype was calculated based on AMDVG enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and CIEP test results, and breeding values for ImmunAD were estimated using an animal model. Animals were classified into high-coordinated (HCIR), average-coordinated (ACIR), and low-coordinated immune responders (LCIR) using ImmunAD’s breeding values, and the impact of selection of HCIR on live grade of pelt quality (PQ), harvest weight (HW), and harvest length (HL) breeding values were evaluated. Age of > 1 year, male sex, and year of sampling were identified as significant risk factors of AD (p < 0.05). A moderate-to-high heritability (0.55±0.07) was estimated for ImmunAD, while a higher heritability was observed among the CIEP-positive animals (0.76±0.06). Significantly higher breeding values were observed for PQ and HL among HCIR than those for LCIR and ACIR (p < 0.05). Our findings indicate the critical role of male breeders in AD distribution within mink farms. Regular screening of AD in male breeders before pairing them with females during breeding seasons can help disease control. ImmunAD strategy can be applied to genetic improvement of AD tolerance, with favorable impacts on some growth and production traits. Higher genetic gains can be achieved in populations with higher AD seroprevalences.

Introduction Aleutian mink disease virus (AMDV) causes a serious health problem for mink globally. The disease has no cure nor an effective vaccine and selection for tolerance using antibody titer is adopted by many mink farmers. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of various doses of a local AMDV isolate on the response of black American mink to infection with AMDV. Methods Eight black American mink were each inoculated intranasally with 0.5 mL of eight serial 10‐fold dilutions (100 to 10−7) of a 10% spleen homogenate containing a local AMDV isolate. Blood samples were collected on days 0, 20, 35, 56, 84, 140, and 196 postinoculation (dpi). Anti‐AMDV antibodies and viral DNA were tested by counter‐immunoelectrophoresis (CIEP) and PCR, respectively. Animals that were PCR or CIEP positive at 196 dpi (n = 41) were killed at 218 dpi, and samples of blood and seven organs were tested by CIEP and PCR. Results Antibody production persisted in all seroconverted mink until the termination of the experiment, whereas 71.1% of the mink showed short‐lived viremia. Significant associations were observed between inoculum dose and the incidence of viremia until 84 dpi which disappeared thereafter, whereas associations between inoculum dose and the incidence of seropositive mink were significant on all sampling occasions. Antibody titer at 218 dpi significantly decreased with decreasing inoculum dose. AMDV DNA was detected in the bone marrow, lymph nodes, and spleen samples of almost all mink inoculated at every dose but was not detected in other organs of some mink. Conclusions CIEP is more accurate than PCR for detecting AMDV infection in mink. Using antibody titer in naturally infected mink may not be accurate for the identification of tolerant mink. The predicted probabilities for viremia across all inoculum doses were the greatest at 20 dpi, and the effect became smaller as times after inoculation prolonged, and almost disappeared after 84 dpi. The predicted probabilities for viremia across all eight inoculum doses (100 to 10‐7) on the six sampling occasions (20, 35, 56, 84, 140 and 196 day post‐inoculation) were the greatest at 20 dpi, and the effect became smaller as times after inoculation prolonged, and almost disappeared after 84 dpi.

Background Feed additives which can ease the negative effects of infection by the Aleutian mink disease virus (AMDV) are of interest to mink farmers. The effects of kelp meal ( Ascophylum nodosum ) supplementation on immune response, virus replication and blood parameters of mink inoculated with AMDV were assessed. AMDV-free black mink ( n  = 75) were intranasally inoculated with a local strain of AMDV and fed a commercial pellet supplemented with kelp meal at the rates of 1.5% or 0.75% of the feed or were kept as controls (no kelp) for 451 days. Blood was collected on days 0 (pre-inoculation), 31, 56, 99, 155, 366 and 451 post-inoculation (dpi). Results No significant difference was observed among the treatments for the proportion of animals positive for antibodies against the virus measured by the counter-immunoelectrophoresis (CIEP), viremia measured by PCR, antibody titer measured by quantitative ELISA, total serum protein measured by a refractometer or elevated levels of gamma globulin measured by iodine agglutination test at the sampling occasions. At the termination of the experiment on 451 dpi, there were no differences among treatments for antibody titer measured by CIEP, total serum protein, albumin, globulins, albumin:globulin ratio, alkaline phosphatase, gamma-glutamyl transferase, and proportions of PCR positive spleen, lymph node or bone marrow samples, but blood urea nitrogen and creatine levels were significantly lower in the 1.5% kelp supplemented group than in the controls. Conclusion Kelp supplementation improved kidney function of mink infected with AMDV with no effect on liver function, immune response to infection by AMDV or virus replication.