Key result
Novel squirrel adenovirus found in Portugal resembles a Korean strain rather than European variants.
Why the study?
In the Iberian Peninsula, there were no reports of adenovirus infection in red squirrels.
Case Report (n=1)
First report of a squirrel adenovirus in the Iberian Peninsula, indicating the emergence of a new strain circulating in Europe similar to the Korean strain.
First Iberian detection of Korean-like squirrel adenovirus signals potential European emergence; leaves open its pathogenicity, transmission, and surveillance needs.
Adenoviruses (AdV) are pathogens capable of infecting animals and humans leading to a wide spectrum of diseases. They have a widespread geographical dissemination and infect several species, including red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris). In the Iberian Peninsula, there are no reports of infection of red squirrels by AdV. In this study, we report for the first time the detection of squirrel AdV in a red squirrel trapped in central Portugal. The phylogenetic analysis showed that the sequences obtained for the hexon and the penton base genes were similar to the Korean squirrel AdV strain and strongly divergent from the strains present in red squirrels in Europe. These findings indicate the emergence of a new strain circulating in Europe and raise concerns regarding the conservation of the red squirrel.
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Côrte‐Real et al. (2020) conducted a case report in Adenovirus infection (n=1). Adenovirus infection was evaluated on Detection and phylogenetic analysis of adenovirus. A novel squirrel adenovirus strain, phylogenetically similar to a Korean strain and divergent from European strains, was detected for the first time in a red squirrel in Portugal.
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