Group A Rotavirus Associated with Encephalitis in Red Fox

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Neurology
• Virology
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Encephalitis and neurologic signs in foxes can be associated with various infectious agents.
• Rotaviruses are known enteric pathogens, but their neuroinvasive potential is less understood.
• Rabies surveillance programs sometimes detect other neuropathogenic agents.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify the causative agent of encephalitis in a fox.
• To investigate the neurovirulence of an isolated rotavirus strain.
• To explore the potential of this strain as a model for rotavirus neurovirulence research.

Main Methods:

• Isolation and identification of a group A rotavirus from fox brain tissue.
• Intracerebral inoculation of mice with fox brain homogenates.
• Genome sequencing to determine the origin and characteristics of the rotavirus.

Main Results:

• A group A rotavirus was successfully isolated from the affected fox brain.
• Intracerebral inoculation of mice with the isolate led to fatal encephalitis.
• Genome sequencing identified the rotavirus as a heterologous strain of avian origin.

Conclusions:

• A novel avian rotavirus strain was identified as a cause of encephalitis in a fox.
• The isolated rotavirus demonstrated significant neurovirulence in a mouse model.
• This finding highlights the potential for rotaviruses to cause neurologic disease and provides a valuable model for future studies.