First Report of Skunk Amdoparvovirus (Species) in Europe in a Captive Striped Skunk ().

Abstract

Skunk amdoparvovirus (, SKAV) is closely related to Aleutian mink disease virus (AMDV) and circulates primarily in striped skunks () in North America. SKAV poses a threat to mustelid species due to reported isolated infections of captive American mink () in British Columbia, Canada. We detected SKAV in a captive striped skunk in a German zoo by metagenomic sequencing. The pathological findings are dominated by lymphoplasmacellular inflammation and reveal similarities to its relative, the causative agent of Aleutian mink disease. Phylogenetic analysis of the whole genome demonstrated 94.80% nucleotide sequence identity to a sequence from Ontario, Canada. This study is the first case description of a SKAV infection outside of North America.