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Veterinary Sciences
Special Issues
Molecular Characterization of Various Viruses and Bacteria in Small Animals
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Molecular Characterization of Various Viruses and Bacteria in Small Animals

A special issue of Veterinary Sciences (ISSN 2306-7381). This special issue belongs to the section "Veterinary Microbiology, Parasitology and Immunology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 October 2025 | Viewed by 2342

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Mohamed Abouelkhair

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Schreiber School of Veterinary Medicine, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ, USA
Interests: immunology; clinical microbiology; molecular biology; bioinformatics
Dr. Raghavendra Amachawadi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
Interests: antimicrobial resistance in gut bacteria of cattle and swine
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

With new sequencing technologies becoming more accessible to researchers and organizations worldwide, the identification of novel and emerging viruses and bacteria has significantly improved. We are excited to invite you to submit your manuscripts to our Special Issue on the “Molecular Characterization of Various Viruses and Bacteria in Small Animals,” to be published in the MDPI journal Veterinary Sciences. This Special Issue aims to showcase innovative research utilizing advanced sequencing technologies and bioinformatics to unravel the complexities of pathogens affecting small animals.

We seek original research articles and reviews that explore the use of long-read and short-read sequencing platforms in characterizing pathogens. Studies that integrate these sequencing data for comprehensive pathogen analysis are particularly welcome.

Additionally, we are interested in bioinformatics pipelines that analyze viral and bacterial genomes in small animals, including metagenomic sequencing, targeted next-generation sequencing, and the analysis of bacterial communities. We encourage submissions that focus on the assembly and annotation of viral genomes, comparative genomics of bacterial pathogens, and the development and validation of molecular diagnostics, including CRISPR-based tests targeting these microbes in small animals.

We also seek research on the detection of antimicrobial resistance genes, virulence genes, and temporal changes in these genes. Innovations in hybrid sequencing approaches, bioinformatics tools for viral quasispecies analysis, and machine learning applications in bioinformatics analysis of sequence data are highly encouraged.

Your contributions will play a crucial role in advancing our understanding of pathogen biology and host–pathogen interactions, fostering a One Health approach to combating infectious diseases. This Special Issue provides a unique platform to highlight your research to a global audience and to contribute to a growing body of knowledge that bridges the veterinary and human health sciences.

Please submit your manuscripts through the MDPI submission system by 7th March 2025. We look forward to receiving your valuable contributions and working together to advance this important field.

Dr. Mohamed Abouelkhair
Dr. Raghavendra Amachawadi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Veterinary Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2100 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • molecular characterization
  • small animal pathogens
  • advanced sequencing technologies
  • bioinformatics
  • antimicrobial resistance

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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25 pages, 8447 KiB  
Article
The Protein Encoded by the UL3.5 Gene of the Duck Plague Virus Affects Viral Secondary Envelopment, Release, and Cell-to-Cell Spread
by Huanhuan Cao, Bin Tian, Yanming Tian, Dongjie Cai, Mingshu Wang, Renyong Jia, Shun Chen and Anchun Cheng
Vet. Sci. 2025, 12(6), 510; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci12060510 - 23 May 2025
Viewed by 135
Abstract
Duck plague (DP), caused by duck plague virus (DPV), is a highly contagious and fatal disease among waterfowl. UL3.5, an unconserved gene belonging to the Herpesviridae family, Alphaherpesvirinae subfamily, and Mardivirus genus, is located downstream of UL3 and exhibits high variability in size [...] Read more.
Duck plague (DP), caused by duck plague virus (DPV), is a highly contagious and fatal disease among waterfowl. UL3.5, an unconserved gene belonging to the Herpesviridae family, Alphaherpesvirinae subfamily, and Mardivirus genus, is located downstream of UL3 and exhibits high variability in size and sequence, with an absence in herpes simplex virus (HSV). Currently, there is little understanding of DPV UL3.5. In this study, we determined that DPV pUL3.5 is distributed within the cytoplasm and co-located with multiple organelles. In addition, we investigated the genetic type of DPV UL3.5 and found that it is an early gene encoding an early viral protein. To further explore the function of DPV UL3.5, we constructed DPV-BAC-δUL3.5 and discovered that the deletion of UL3.5 significantly impacts the viral secondary envelopment and release processes. Furthermore, the UL3.5-deleted virus shows defects in cell-to-cell spread. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate, for the first time, that the early viral protein encoded by DPV UL3.5 plays a crucial role in promoting viral replication. This offers fundamental insights for further investigations into the function of DPV UL3.5. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Characterization of Various Viruses and Bacteria in Small Animals)
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13 pages, 1336 KiB  
Article
First Report on the Molecular Detection and Characterization of Rickettsia felis in Laelapidae (Acari: Mesostigmata) Mites in Malaysia
by Hiryahafira Mohamad Tahir, Faraliana Che Lah Ernieenor, Suhaili Zainal Abidin, Vishalani Vishnu Narainasamy and Mariana Ahamad
Vet. Sci. 2025, 12(5), 443; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci12050443 - 6 May 2025
Viewed by 285
Abstract
Rickettsiae are Gram-negative and obligate intracellular bacteria that cause rickettsioses. These pathogens are typically transmitted by arthropod vectors, such as ticks, mesostigmatid mites, and fleas. Rickettsiae are responsible for many emerging infectious diseases worldwide and are the second most frequently reported cause of [...] Read more.
Rickettsiae are Gram-negative and obligate intracellular bacteria that cause rickettsioses. These pathogens are typically transmitted by arthropod vectors, such as ticks, mesostigmatid mites, and fleas. Rickettsiae are responsible for many emerging infectious diseases worldwide and are the second most frequently reported cause of non-malarial febrile illnesses in Southeast Asia. However, in Malaysia, studies on the prevalence and distribution of rickettsiae have primarily focused on humans, with limited data on these bacteria in vectors and small mammal hosts. Thus, this study aims to investigate the presence of Rickettsia spp. in small mammals and their associated mesostigmatid mites collected from potential rickettsioses areas in Selangor. Animal trapping was conducted across three different ecological study sites comprising a recreational area, agricultural land, and coastal area. A total of 41 small mammals and 363 mesostigmatid mites were collected and identified. Ten percent of the total individual mites were processed for morphological examination, and the remaining mites were then pooled by hosts, with five individual mites per tube, for DNA extraction. The collected samples, comprising blood, animal tissue, and pooled mites, were subjected to DNA extraction and were screened for Rickettsia spp. via nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR), targeting the citrate synthase-encoding gene (gltA) and outer membrane protein B gene (ompB). Interestingly, two pools (3.33%) of Laelaps spp. recovered from Maxomys whiteheadi and Bandicota indica, collected from a recreational area, tested positive for Rickettsia spp. Sequence analysis and phylogenetic tree of the ompB gene revealed the presence of Rickettsia felis in both laelapid mite pools. To our knowledge, this study provides the first molecular detection of R. felis in Laelaps spp. in Malaysia. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Characterization of Various Viruses and Bacteria in Small Animals)
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14 pages, 4598 KiB  
Article
Genetic and Phylogenetic Analysis of Feline Coronavirus in Guangxi Province of China from 2021 to 2024
by Kaichuang Shi, Mengyi He, Yuwen Shi, Feng Long, Yandi Shi, Yanwen Yin, Yi Pan, Zongqiang Li and Shuping Feng
Vet. Sci. 2024, 11(10), 455; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci11100455 - 25 Sep 2024
Viewed by 1242
Abstract
Feline coronavirus (FCoV), as one of the important pathogens of feline viral gastroenteritis, has been attracting great attention. A total of 1869 rectal and nasal swabs, feces, and ascites samples were collected from eight regions in Guangxi province during 2021–2024. The multiplex RT-qPCR [...] Read more.
Feline coronavirus (FCoV), as one of the important pathogens of feline viral gastroenteritis, has been attracting great attention. A total of 1869 rectal and nasal swabs, feces, and ascites samples were collected from eight regions in Guangxi province during 2021–2024. The multiplex RT-qPCR established in our laboratory was used to test these samples for FCoV, and 17.66% (330/1869) of the samples were positive for FCoV. The S, M, and N genes of 63 FCoV-positive samples were amplified and sequenced, and the genetic and evolutionary characteristics were analyzed. Similarity analysis showed that the nucleotide and amino acid homologies of S, M, and N genes were 81.2–99.6% and 70.2–99.5%, 89.9–100% and 91.6–100%, and 90.1–100% and 91.5–100%, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that all 63 FCoV strains, based on S gene sequences, belonged to type I FCoV (FCoV-I), and were clustered with Chinese strains and the Netherlands UU strains. Recombinant signals were detected in the S gene of strains GXLZ03-2022, GXLZ08-2022, and CCoV GD/2020/X9. The results suggest that FCoV is still prevalent in the Guangxi province of southern China, and the prevalent FCoV strains show high genetic diversity and novel epidemic characteristics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Characterization of Various Viruses and Bacteria in Small Animals)
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