Hasan Abayli

Ovine pulmonary adenocarcinoma is a contagious pulmonary neoplasm of sheep associated with exogenous Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus. This retrospective descriptive case series characterized seven suspected ovine pulmonary adenocarcinoma cases using histopathology, immunohistochemistry, and semi-nested polymerase chain reaction on archived formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded lung tissues. Fresh pulmonary tissue from two cases was also examined by transmission electron microscopy. Histopathological findings were compatible with ovine pulmonary adenocarcinoma in all cases and consisted of well- differentiated bronchioloalveolar epithelial proliferations arranged in papillary and acinar/tubular patterns. Cytoplasmic immunoreactivity for the jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus envelope protein was detected in neoplastic epithelial cells and in non-neoplastic type II pneumocytes. Immunolabelling was also observed in alveolar macrophages and lymphocytes in some cases; this finding was interpreted cautiously because it may reflect uptake of viral antigen rather than productive infection. Nuclear thyroid transcription factor-1 immunolabelling in neoplastic cells supported pulmonary epithelial differentiation. Semi- nested polymerase chain reaction provided molecular support by amplifying the expected 133 bp jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus -specific product in clearly positive samples, although band intensity varied among lanes. Transmission electron microscopy demonstrated lamellar body-like structures, cytoplasmic vacuolation, vesiculation, and membranous-lamellar degeneration in alveolar epithelial cells, but clearly identifiable viral particles were not demonstrated. Therefore, the findings should be interpreted as descriptive evidence supporting jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus -associated ovine pulmonary adenocarcinoma, rather than as proof of productive jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus infection or as a diagnostic-performance study. Larger prospective studies incorporating viral ribonucleic acid detection, sequencing, or direct virion demonstration are required.

This study was conducted to expand the limited knowledge regarding the detection, molecular characterization, and epidemiology of feline calicivirus (FCV)

The aim of this study was to detect chicken parvovirus (ChPV) and turkey parvovirus (TuPV) on Turkish poultry farms and examine the molecular epidemiology of these viruses. In 2023, a total of 1,060 fecal samples were collected from 76 broiler farms and 30 turkey farms across various regions of Turkiye. The overall positivity rate was 72.3% (55/76) in broiler flocks and 70% (21/30) in turkey flocks. Among these, the positivity rate was 35% (7/20) in birds showing no signs of enteritis. The findings of this study suggest that, depending on the genetic variability of regional strains or the viral load, nested-PCR-based methods may prove more effective than single-step PCR for detecting ChPV and TuPV cases. Therefore, it is recommended to incorporate nested PCR in molecular epidemiological studies to minimize the risk of overlooking positive cases. Phylogenetic analysis of the VP1, VP2, and complete genome sequences of TUR/2023/ChPV and TR/2023/TuPV revealed that both strains clustered with American strains in distinct lineages. Analysis using the recombination detection programs RDP4.0 and SimPlot 3.5.1 strongly suggested that TUR/2023/ChPV may be a recombinant of strains from China and Brazil. Despite the observed genetic variability in the VP2 protein, an examination of B-cell epitopes showed a high degree of similarity between ChPV and TuPV strains. This study represents the first documentation of the emergence and prevalence of TuPVs in Turkiye, providing complete genome sequences for both ChPV and TuPV. Given the high prevalence and genetic diversity of these viruses and their presence in clinically asymptomatic birds, it is crucial for stakeholders in the poultry industry to implement regular flock screenings for these and similar viral pathogens. Proactive measures like these are essential for mitigating the economic impact of these important pathogens and developing effective preventive strategies.

In this study, it was aimed to examine the biochemical changes, hematological changes and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cytology and blood serum of cattle with head-eye form of Malignant Catarrhal Fever (MCF). For this pur- pose, 22 cattle diagnosed with "head-eye form" of MCF and clinically healthy 10 cattle were evaluated. Blood and cere- brospinal fluid (CSF) were collected from all cattle. In sera, AST, urea, glucose, CK (P<0.05), LDH levels (P<0.01) were found be high, ALT, ALP, cholesterol (P<0.05), Ca, total protein (P<0.01) and Mg, albumine and Fe levels (P<0.001) were found to be low in MCF group when compared to the control group. In CSF, Ca (P<0.01) and total protein levels (P<0.001) were found high glucose level (P<0.05) was found low in MCF group when compared to the control group. In haematology, some parameters were determined to be different between the groups. In cytological results of CSF in MCF group, polymorphonuclear leucocytes, lymphocytes, erytrocytes, macrophages and plasma cells were determined. In conclusion, since there were a limited number of studies examining biochemical, cytologic and hematological results of MCF especially in CSF, the results from our study were thought to be important for future stud- ies in which viral diseases affects the nervous system of cattles.

Early embryonic death, fetal resorption, fetal mummification/maceration, abortion, and abnormalities are some of the causes of losses in farm animals. In this study, it was aimed to make recommendations to clinician veterinarians by investigating the presence of bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), Schmallenberg virus (SBV), Akabane virus (AKAV), and bovine herpesvirus-1 (BHV-1) viruses in calves with congenital anomalies. A total of 34 calves of different breeds and sexes, between 1 day and 2 months of age which were brought to Fırat University Animal Hospital for diagnosis and treatment and found to have congenital anomalies after a general clinical examination during visits to the neighboring villages, were included in the study. The abnormalities detected in the calves were as follows: Hydrocephalus, cerebellar hypoplasia, brahignati inferior, mandibular laterognathism, arthrogryposis, cheilognathopalatoschisis, coccygeal agenesis, atresia ani, bouleture/arqure, ocular and orbital deformities, dermoid cysts, miniature, renal and urinary system anomalies. PCR results showed pestivirus was detected in 6 of 34 (17.6%) calves with abnormalities. After sequencing, the expected PCR product (288 nucleotides) for pestivirus showed high identity (97% and above) to the BVDV-1 strain/isolates in the GenBank. In conclusion, although the primary purpose of cattle breeding is high meat and milk yield, it is also very important to continue the production process with healthy newborn calves. For this reason, even if congenital anomalies are seen at a low rate in calves, they should not be underestimated as they will cause economic losses, and we believe that clinician veterinarians should not ignore these diseases.

Marek’s disease virus (MDV), avian leukosis virus (ALV), and reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV) are important viral agents associated with neoplastic diseases that cause economic losses for the poultry industry worldwide. Immunosuppressive agents such as infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV), REV, and chicken anemia virus (CIAV) expose birds to other infections and reduce production performance. In this context, we aimed to identify and perform molecular analysis of the aforementioned viral infections (ALV, CIAV, IBDV, MDV, and REV) in the tissues of tumor-bearing chickens. Clinical samples were taken from 11 chicken flocks of different ages and races from some provinces (Adıyaman, Diyarbakır, Elazığ and Malatya) in Turkey between 2011 and 2020. MDV positivity was determined in all 11 chicken flocks, while ALV endogenous sequences were determined in two of 11 MDV positive chicken flocks. CIAV and ALV sequences were found together in two of 11 MDV positive chicken flocks. The ALV subgroup J, IBDV, and REV were not detected in any of the chicken flocks. According to phylogenetic analysis, Turkish MDV strains obtained from this study were included in two different genogroups (genogroups I and II) with other MDV strains with pathotypes ranging from virulent (v) to very virulent plus (vv+). Co-infections of ALV and CIAV with MDV may worsen the current clinical situation. In this study, MDV was detected in two flocks vaccinated with HVT. Other chickens were not vaccinated against any of the viral agents studied. Increasing vaccination and preventive measures against these viral pathogens in poultry in Turkey is recommended.

Viral enteritis is a significant cause of death among dogs younger than 6 months. In this study, the presence of canine chaphamaparvovirus (CaChPV), canine bufavirus (CBuV), and canine adenovirus (CAdV) was investigated in 62 diarrheal dogs previously tested for other viral pathogens (canine parvovirus type 2, canine coronavirus, and canine circovirus). CBuV was detected in two dogs (3.22%) and CaChPV in one dog (1.61%). One dog tested positive for three parvoviruses (CPV-2b, CBuV, and CaChPV). All dogs tested negative to CAdV-1/CAdV-2. A long genome fragment of one of the two identified CBuVs and of the CaChPV was obtained and analyzed. New Turkish CBuVs had high identity rates (96%–98% nt; 97%–98% aa) with some Italian CBuV strains (CaBuV/9AS/2005/ITA and CaBuV/35/2016/ITA). The phylogenetic analysis powerfully demonstrated that these viruses belonged to a novel genotype (genotype 2). A part of the genome ChPV-TR-2021–19 revealed high identity rates (> 98% nt and > 99% aa) with some Canadian CaChPV strains (NWT-W88 and NWT-W171) and the Italian CaChPV strain Te/37OVUD/2019/IT. This study is the first report on the detection of CBuV-2 and the concomitant presence of three canine parvoviruses in Turkey. The obtained data will contribute to the molecular epidemiology and the role in the etiology of enteric disease of new parvoviruses.

Viral enteritis is a significant threat to domestic dogs. The two primary pathogens that cause viral enteritis in dogs are canine coronavirus (CCoV) and canine parvovirus (CPV). In this study, we investigated the occurrence of CPV-2, CCoV, and canine circovirus coinfection by characterizing circulating subtypes of CPV-2 in faecal samples from symptomatic dogs admitted to veterinary clinics located in Ankara, Elazığ, Kayseri, and Kocaeli provinces of Turkey, between 2019 and 2022. Virus detection by PCR and RT-PCR revealed that CPV-2 was present in 48 (77.4%) samples, and no other agents were detected. Based on the occurrence of the codon GAT at positions 1276 to 1278 (coding for aspartate at residue 426) of VP2, all CPV-2 isolates were confirmed to be of the CPV-2b subtype. The complete genome sequences of two CPV-2b isolates showed a high degree of similarity to and phylogenetic clustering with Australian and East Asian strains/isolates. The predominant CPV strain circulating in the three different regions of Turkey was found to be a CPV-2b strain containing the amino acid substitutions at Y324I and T440A, which commonly contribute to immune escape. This is the first report of complete genomic analysis of CPV-2 isolates circulating in symptomatic domestic dogs in Turkey. The evolution of CPV-2 has raised questions about the efficacy of current vaccination regimes and highlights the importance of monitoring the emergence and spread of new CPV-2 variants.

The pet cat’s population and the number of viruses that infect them are increasing worldwide. Recently, feline chaphamaparvovirus (FeChPV, also called fechavirus) and feline bocaparvovirus (FBoV) infections, which are novel parvovirus species, have been reported in cats from different geographic regions. Here, we investigated FBoV 1–3 and FeChPVs in healthy cats in Turkey using PCR, where nuclear phosphoprotein 1 (NP1) is targeted for FBoV and NP for FeChPV. For this purpose, oropharygeal swabs were obtained from 70 healthy cats with different housing status from June 15 to December 1, 2020. After PCR screening tests, six out of 70 cats (5/47 shelter cats; 1/23 domestic cats) were found to be positive for FBOV, while two were positive for FeChPV (1/47 shelter cats; 1/23 domestic cats). No cat was found in which both viruses were detected. The nucleotide (nt) sequence comparison in the 310 base pair (bp) NP gene of the two FeChPVs identified in this study shared a high identity with each other (95.0% nt and 99% aa identities) and with previously reported FeChPVs (92.4–97.1% nt and 98.1–99.0% aa identities), including 313R/2019/ITA, 49E/2019/ITA, VRI_849, 284R/2019/ITA, and IDEXX-1. Here, the near-full length (1489 nt, 495 amino acids-aa) of the VP2 gene of the FechaV/Tur-2020/68 isolate obtained from the study was also sequenced. The nt and aa identity ratio of this isolate with other FeChPVs was 98.0–98.5%-96–96.5%, respectively. Sequences of the 465 bp NP1 gene of the six Turkish FBoV strains shared high identities with each other (99.6–100% nt and 99.3–100% aa identities) and with those of FBoV-2 strains (97.8–99.1% nt and 98.0–100% aa identities), including 16SY0701, 17CC0505-BoV2, HFXA-6, and POR1. All FBoVs detected in this study were classified as genotype 2, similar to the study conducted in Japan and Portugal. Here, the NS1 (partial), NP1, VP1 and VP2 gene of the FBoV-2/TUR/2020–14 strain obtained from the study were also sequenced and the nt and aa sequences showed high identities to the above-mentioned FBoV-2 strain/isolates (> 96%, except for the aa ratio of strain 16SY0701). In conclusion, this study shows that FBoV and FeChPV are present in healthy cats in Turkey, and these viruses can be detected from oropharyngeal swabs. Our findings contribute to further investigation of the prevalence, genotype distribution, and genetic diversity of Turkish FBoVs and FeChPVs, adding to the molecular epidemiology of FBoV and FeChPVs worldwide.

Feline calicivirus (FCV), feline alphaherpesvirus 1 (FHV-1) and feline panleukopenia virus (FPLV) as well as retroviral agents such as feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) are important viral pathogens of cats. The aim of this study was to detect and characterise FHV-1, FPLV, FeLV, FIV and feline foamy virus (FFV) in oropharyngeal, nasal and conjunctival swabs from 93 cats that had been screened for FCV previously. We wanted to determine the possible risk factors for infection with these viruses. The prevalence was found to be 12.9% for FHV-1 and 9.7% for FPLV. FIV was detected only in two samples and FeLV in one sample, whereas the presence of FFV was not demonstrated in any of the clinical samples. The statistical analysis of the results showed that breed, age, health status, and lifestyle are important predisposing factors to FHV-1 (P< 0.05). For FPLV, only clinically unhealthy animals were found to be at risk (P< 0.001). Sequence analysis revealed that the two FIV-positive samples in this study contained different (A and B) subtypes of the virus. This is the first report on the occurrence of subtype A FIV in Turkey.