Characterization of a fatal feline panleukopenia virus derived from giant panda with broad cell tropism and zoonotic potential

Shan Zhao; Huanyuan Hu; Jingchao Lan; Zhisong Yang; Qianling Peng; Liheng Yan; Li Luo; Lin Wu; Yifei Lang; Qigui Yan

doi:10.3389/fimmu.2023.1237630

Characterization of a fatal feline panleukopenia virus derived from giant panda with broad cell tropism and zoonotic potential

Front Immunol. 2023 Aug 17:14:1237630. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1237630. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Shan Zhao^{1

2}, Huanyuan Hu^{1

2}, Jingchao Lan³, Zhisong Yang⁴, Qianling Peng^{1

2}, Liheng Yan^{1

2}, Li Luo³, Lin Wu⁴, Yifei Lang^{1

2}, Qigui Yan^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China.
² Key Laboratory of Animal Disease and Human Health of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China.
³ Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, Chengdu, China.
⁴ Sichuan Academy of Giant Panda, Chengdu, China.

Abstract

Represented by feline panleukopenia virus (FPV) and canine parvovirus (CPV), the species carnivore protoparvovirus 1 has a worldwide distribution through continuous ci13rculation in companion animals such as cats and dogs. Subsequently, both FPV and CPV had engaged in host-to-host transfer to other wild animal hosts of the order Carnivora. In the present study, we emphasized the significance of cross-species transmission of parvoviruses with the isolation and characterization of an FPV from giant panda displaying severe and fatal symptoms. The isolated virus, designated pFPV-sc, displayed similar morphology as FPV, while phylogenetic analysis indicated that the nucleotide sequence of pFPV-sc clades with Chinese FPV isolates. Despite pFPV-sc is seemingly an outcome of a spillover infection event from domestic cats to giant pandas, our study also provided serological evidence that FPV or other parvoviruses closely related to FPV could be already prevalent in giant pandas in 2011. Initiation of host transfer of pFPV-sc is likely with association to giant panda transferrin receptor (TfR), as TfR of giant panda shares high homology with feline TfR. Strikingly, our data also indicate that pFPV-sc can infect cell lines of other mammal species, including humans. To sum up, observations from this study shall promote future research of cross-host transmission and antiviral intervention of Carnivore protoparvovirus 1, and necessitate surveillance studies in thus far unacknowledged potential reservoirs.

Keywords: TfR; cross-species transmission; fatal; feline panleukopenia virus; giant panda.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Animals, Wild
Cats
Dogs
Feline Panleukopenia Virus* / genetics
Humans
Phylogeny
Tropism
Ursidae*

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Foundation, China (Grant No. CPF2017-35), the Self-supporting Project of Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Base, China (Grant No. 2021CPB-C13), the Self-supporting Project of Sichuan Academy of Giant Panda and the Natural Science Foundation of Sichuan Province (Grant No. 2022NSFSC1692 and Grant No. 2022NSFSC1625).