World Lagomorph Society
World Lagomorph Society
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Evaluation of dried blood spots for serological surveys of myxoma and rabbit hemorrhagic disease viruses in their wild reservoir
Joana Ferreira-e-Silva, Saúl Jiménez-Ruiz, Marisa Rodrigues, Emídio Santos, Sabrina Castro-Scholten, Vitor Lizana, Alba Martí-Marco, Tereza Almeida, Ana M. Lopes, Joana Abrantes, Juan Bárcena, Esther Blanco, Carlos Rouco, Ignacio García-Bocanegra, Paulo Célio Alves, Nuno Santos
Abstract

Myxoma (MYXV) and rabbit hemorrhagic disease (RHDV) viruses are pathogens of economic relevance for cuniculture and conservation concern for wild European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), recently classified as ‘Endangered’ in its native range. Large-scale serological surveys, facilitated by sample collection using dried blood spots (DBS), allow monitoring seroprevalence in the wild reservoir but require evaluating the technique for the host and pathogen of interest. This study aimed to evaluate Protein Saver 903 DBS for MYXV and RHDV (genotype GI.2) serological surveys in European rabbits. Paired serum and DBS collected from 172 rabbits harvested or found dead in the Iberian Peninsula were tested for IgG antibodies specific against MYXV and RHDV GI.2 using indirect ELISA. We found an almost perfect agreement between serum and DBS for MYXV (Cohen's κ=0.914, CI95 0.847 – 0.981) and a strong agreement for RHDV GI.2 (Cohen's κ=0.808, CI95=0.722 – 0.893). The diagnostic sensitivity of DBS was 95.4 % (CI95 90.3 – 97.9 %) for MYXV and 82.1 % (CI95 73.2 – 88.5 %) for RHDV GI.2. The diagnostic specificity and positive predictive value were 100 % for both pathogens. This study supports DBS as a suitable sampling strategy for serological surveys of antibodies specific to MYXV and RHDV GI.2 in European rabbits, which generally agrees with results from other hosts and pathogens where this technique was evaluated.

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Document Information
Publish date: November 2024
Edition: Preventive Veterinary Medicine