Probes for INS

Porcine circovirus type 3 (PCV3) is a novel porcine circovirus that has been detected in pigs showing various clinical and pathological conditions, as well as in many asymptomatic pigs. The pathogenesis of PCV3 infection in pigs remains unclear. To evaluate the in vivo growth and pathogenicity of PCV3, we performed two experiments on PCV3 infection in laboratory-grade miniature pigs with strictly controlled genetic backgrounds and microbiological status. A PCV3 passage experiment confirmed PCV3 genome detection in the sera and multiple organs via in vivo serial passage generations. PCV3 was successively passaged in miniature pigs by inoculating tissue homogenates from infected pigs supporting Koch's principles. In the PCV3 infection experiment, viremia was observed in all the inoculated pigs, and transient neurological signs were observed in one of the three pigs. Histopathologically, all three pigs in the PCV3 inoculation group exhibited lung disorders such as interstitial pneumonia and lymphoplasmacytic perivasculitis. In addition, one pig with neurological signs in the PCV3 inoculation group showed focal thrombosis in the meninges of the cerebellum. Vascular lesions in both the lungs and brain suggest that PCV3 may cause injury to vascular tissues. In situ hybridization (ISH)-RNA analysis demonstrated that the PCV3 genome was localized in the lymph nodes of pigs inoculated with PCV3. The PCV3 in vivo passage system in NIBS miniature pigs will help investigate the pathogenicity of PCV3.

In humans, basaloid follicular hamartomas are benign follicular tumours, that can be solitary or multiple, in which case they show autosomal dominant inheritance.This study describes clinical and histopathological findings observed in a young cat, which could be consistent with basaloid follicular hamartomas.Multiple follicular abnormalities, consistent with cutaneous diffuse basaloid follicular hamartomas, were observed in skin samples from a one-year old neutered domestic short hair cat. Clinical signs were diffuse symmetrical alopecia with exaggerated skin markings (ventral abdomen, thorax and medial aspects of the limbs) and intense follicular-centred thickening (face and feet). Microscopic lesions were characterised by multiple proliferative follicular abnormalities in all samples. The epidermis showed a very irregular surface with the follicles filled with variably pigmented keratin. The epithelial walls of the follicles had multiple small hyperplastic basaloid cells foci. In the superficial dermis under the epidermis and around the follicles, fibroblastic spindle-shaped mesenchymal cells with a homogeneous moderate density were present in the collagenous connective tissue. The interfollicular epidermis was also abnormal with multiple small proliferating trichoblastic foci originating from the basal layer. RNAscope testing for feline papillomavirus was negative.This case report provides the first evidence of clinical and histopathological findings of multiple follicular abnormalities, consistent with cutaneous diffuse basaloid follicular hamartomas in a cat.

Feline morbillivirus (FeMV) is a recently discovered pathogen of domestic cats and has been classified as a morbillivirus in the Paramyxovirus family. We determined the complete sequence of FeMVUS5 directly from an FeMV-positive urine sample without virus isolation or cell passage. Sequence analysis of the viral genome revealed potential divergence from characteristics of archetypal morbilliviruses. First, the virus lacks the canonical polybasic furin cleavage signal in the fusion (F) glycoprotein. Second, conserved amino acids in the hemagglutinin (H) glycoprotein used by all other morbilliviruses for binding and/or fusion activation with the cellular receptor CD150 (signaling lymphocyte activation molecule [SLAM]/F1) are absent. We show that, despite this sequence divergence, FeMV H glycoprotein uses feline CD150 as a receptor and cannot use human CD150. We demonstrate that the protease responsible for cleaving the FeMV F glycoprotein is a cathepsin, making FeMV a unique morbillivirus and more similar to the closely related zoonotic Nipah and Hendra viruses. We developed a reverse genetics system for FeMVUS5 and generated recombinant viruses expressing Venus fluorescent protein from an additional transcription unit located either between the phospho-protein (P) and matrix (M) genes or the H and large (L) genes of the genome. We used these recombinant FeMVs to establish a natural infection and demonstrate that FeMV causes an acute morbillivirus-like disease in the cat. Virus was shed in the urine and detectable in the kidneys at later time points. This opens the door for long-term studies to address the postulated role of this morbillivirus in the development of chronic kidney disease.