Abstract
Seneca Valley Virus (SVV) infection has recently spread to pig farms in
Canada, America, and China. Humans, mice, and houseflies have been
identified as hosts and reservoirs. Although such cross-species
transmission events are often limited, sustained outbreaks in a new
mammalian host can occur. To determine if mink are a new mammalian host
of SSV, we studied the molecular characteristics of isolated SVV genomes
and analyzed challenge, pathology, and immune response data. The study
was the first systemic analysis of a newly isolated strain of SVV from
pigs. The strain caused an intestinal infection with associated
pathologic changes in mink. SVV stimulated the production of a specific
neutralizing antibody. The findings highlight the importance of
identifying SVV infection in mink and the host to detect mutated SSV
that could threaten livestock and pose public health and economic risks.