RESPIRATORY VIRUSES IN ALPINE CHAMOIS

In the heterogeneous ecosystem of the Alps an interdisciplinary approach is necessary to prevent, survey and control wildlife diseases in order to ensure the biological integrity, the environmental conservation and so the biodiversity. In this contest the matter of livestock-wildlife interface is of particular importance for the presence of grazing domestic herds and the increase of wild ruminants populations, that lead to novel cohabitation situations with a possible “spill-over” of diseases from livestock or vice versa. Livestock-wildlife interfaces are dynamic and bidirectional and pathogens could be transmitted freely within and between the species. Mountain ungulates appear as a good biological model to study inter-species transmission and in particular, respiratory infections of wild ruminants. Chamois has already been subjected in the past to demographic decreases due to respiratory viruses’ circulation. In this study a total of 394 chamois sera hunted in two different areas of North Western Italian Alps were analysed by virus-neutralization test to detect antibody against Bovine Respiratory Syncytial virus (BRSV), Bovine Viral Diarrhea virus (BVDV) and Mammalian Orthoreovirus (MRV). Seroprevalence of viruses and statistical analysis of antibody titres suggest that infection of pestivirus in chamois populations is sporadic as a spill-over from livestock; BRSV has a high adaptation level in wildlife and can be considered endemic in this two areas; high MRV seroprevalence has been observed and confirms the spread of MRV, that has been identified in a previous study in three chamois lungs. Furthermore, in this study PCR and phylogenetic analysis showed that chamois MRV strains belong to serotype 3 and are closely related to Italian dog and Italian bats strains.