Red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and European badgers (Meles meles) as overlooked wildlife hosts of canine parvovirus in Slovakia: First evidence by molecular characterization and virus isolation

Basic data
OCA1. Surname awarded to the assessed person	Prokeš
OCA2. Name awarded to the assessed person	Marián
OCA3. Degrees awarded to the assessed person	Assoc. prof. , DVM, PhD
OCA4. Hyperlink to the entry of the person in the Register of university staff	https://www.portalvs.sk/regzam/detail/6118
OCA5. Area of assessment	study programme man-animal relationship and its use in canistherapy and hipotherapy · I. degree
OCA6. Category of the research/artistic/other output	scientific output
OCA7. Year of publication of the research/artistic/other output	2025
OCA8. ID of the record in the Central Registry of Publication Activity (CRPA) or the Central Registry of Artistic Activity (CRAA)	1446822
OCA9. Hyperlink to the record in CRPA or CRAA	https://app.crepc.sk/?fn=detailBiblioForm&sid=F3DF709D807E6092636CAF153052
Characteristics of the output that is not registered in CRPA or CRAA
OCA10. Hyperlink to the record in another publicly accessible register, catalogue of research/ artistic/other outputs	https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105020084968?origin=resultslist
OCA11. Characteristics of the output in the format of the CRPA or the CRAA bibliographic record, if the output is not available in a publicly accessible register or catalogue of outputs	Red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and European badgers (Meles meles) as overlooked wildlife hosts of canine parvovirus in Slovakia: First evidence by molecular characterization and virus isolation
OCA12. Type of the output (if the output is not registered in CRPA or CRAA)	article
OCA13. Hyperlink to the webpage where the output is available (full text, other documentation, etc.)	https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/13/10/2325
OCA14. Characteristics of the author's contribution	Editing, processing and publishing results.
OCA15. Annotation of the output with contextual information concerning the description of creative process and the content of the research/artistic/other activity, etc.	Wild carnivores are increasingly recognized as hosts or reservoirs of canine parvovirus (CPV), a major pathogen of dogs. To investigate CPV circulation in Central Europe, we examined 221 red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and 53 European badgers (Meles meles) from seven Slovakian regions. Small intestines (n = 86), rectal swabs (n = 123), and feces (n = 65) were tested by real-time PCR, and positives were sequenced for the VP2 gene. Virus isolation was performed on MDCK cells. CPV was detected in 10.9% (30/274) of samples, with a prevalence of 10.9% (24/221) in foxes and 11.3% (6/53) in badgers. Phylogenetic analysis revealed co-circulation of CPV-2a, CPV-2b, and CPV-2c, with CPV-2b being prevalent (20/30, 66.7%) and CPV-2c detected in a single sample (1/30, 3.3%). CPV-2a/2b isolates clustered with European strains, while CPV-2c grouped within the “Asian” lineage. Several sequences carried “Asian-like” signatures (5G, 267Y, 324I, 370R), suggesting transboundary introduction and spillover into wildlife. Two infrequent substitutions were identified: S552I in CPV-2b and I447M in CPV-2a. Viable virus was isolated from all positives, with characteristic CPV-cytopathic effects. This study provides the first molecular and virological evidence of CPV in Central European wildlife. Our findings expand our understanding of CPV diversity in Europe, and underscore wildlife as an integral component of European ecology.
Other data
OCA16. Annotation of the output in English	Wild carnivores are increasingly recognized as hosts or reservoirs of canine parvovirus (CPV), a major pathogen of dogs. To investigate CPV circulation in Central Europe, we examined 221 red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and 53 European badgers (Meles meles) from seven Slovakian regions. Small intestines (n = 86), rectal swabs (n = 123), and feces (n = 65) were tested by real-time PCR, and positives were sequenced for the VP2 gene. Virus isolation was performed on MDCK cells. CPV was detected in 10.9% (30/274) of samples, with a prevalence of 10.9% (24/221) in foxes and 11.3% (6/53) in badgers. Phylogenetic analysis revealed co-circulation of CPV-2a, CPV-2b, and CPV-2c, with CPV-2b being prevalent (20/30, 66.7%) and CPV-2c detected in a single sample (1/30, 3.3%). CPV-2a/2b isolates clustered with European strains, while CPV-2c grouped within the “Asian” lineage. Several sequences carried “Asian-like” signatures (5G, 267Y, 324I, 370R), suggesting transboundary introduction and spillover into wildlife. Two infrequent substitutions were identified: S552I in CPV-2b and I447M in CPV-2a. Viable virus was isolated from all positives, with characteristic CPV-cytopathic effects. This study provides the first molecular and virological evidence of CPV in Central European wildlife. Our findings expand our understanding of CPV diversity in Europe, and underscore wildlife as an integral component of European ecology.
OCA17. List of maximum 5 most significant citations corresponding to the output	Zobo, A. A., Kallo, V., Diobo, N. F., N’guessan, C. C. D., Asseu, N. P., Kouassi, L. S. A., Asseu, K. C. A., Tiecoura, C. T. R., Acapovi-Yao, G. L., Lamien, C. E., Dundon, W. G., & Franzo, G. (2026). Canine Parvovirus Asian Type 2 Variant C (CPV-2c) Detected in Côte d’Ivoire. Viruses, 18(6), 661. https://doi.org/10.3390/v18060661 Szieber, D., Ábrahám, Á., Bányai, K., Malik, P., Nándori, A., Fézer, B., Bacsadi, Á., Bodó, K., Szabó, A., Kemenesi, G., & Lanszki, Z. (2026). Detection and Phylogenetic Characterization of Canine Distemper Virus from a Red Fox in Hungary. Viruses, 18(3), 352. https://doi.org/10.3390/v18030352
OCA18. Characteristics of the output's impact on socio-economic practice	Wild carnivores are increasingly recognized as hosts or reservoirs of canine parvovirus (CPV), a major pathogen of dogs. This study provides the first molecular and virological evidence of CPV in Central European wildlife. Our findings expand our understanding of CPV diversity in Europe, and underscore wildlife as an integral component of European ecology.
OCA19. Characteristics of the output and related activities' impact on the educational process	University students at the UVMP in Košice were also involved in the preparatory work and collection of samples of the investigated biological material. The impacts and results of the work will be reflected in the teaching of subjects with an epizootiological content.