Avian reovirus (ARV) has emerged as an important pathogen in turkeys, causing economic losses through tenosynovitis, necrotizing hepatitis, immunosuppression, and enteric disease. Despite its ubiquity, the evolutionary history of ARV cross-species transmission among chickens, turkeys, and wild birds remains poorly understood, hindering effective control and surveillance. This study investigates ARV temporal phylogenetics with an emphasis on interspecies transmission in turkeys. Whole genome sequences (WGSs) from seventy-seven turkey cases and one quail case at the Iowa State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, along with 74–136 segment sequences per gene from GenBank (1970–2023), were analyzed. Temporal phylogenetic analyses identified chickens as the ancestral host, with spillover into turkeys beginning in the mid-20th century, followed by stable transmission within turkey populations. Migration analyses revealed predominantly unidirectional transmission from chickens to turkeys. WGS analyses showed high variability in the M2 and σC-encoding region of the S1 segment, suggesting selective pressure on outer capsid proteins. M2, S1 σC, and L3 had the highest substitution rates, implicating their role in adaptation and antigenic diversity. These findings highlight the complexity of ARV evolution across hosts and underscore the need for robust genotyping schemes and surveillance strategies to mitigate outbreaks in poultry.

The spread of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus in dairy cattle, particularly affecting the mammary glands, highlights the adaptability of influenza A viruses (IAV) to infect nontraditional species. Mammals like pigs, sheep, goats, and camelids contribute >$30 billion annually to the US economy and are a source of meat and milk for millions, highlighting the importance of understanding viral susceptibility in these species. The zoonotic transmission of HPAI H5N1 to several dairy and poultry farm workers involved with farm operations during outbreaks is also a cause for public health concerns. Previous studies showed IAV-specific sialic acid (SA) receptors in the mammary glands of dairy cattle, but those studies did not explore their presence in pigs, sheep, goats, alpacas, and humans. The current study used lectin histochemistry staining with fluorescently labeled Sambucus nigra (SA α2,6-galactose [gal] receptors) and Maackia amurensis (SA α2,3-gal receptors) and found that the mammary glands of all of these species, including human breast, were rich in SA α2,6-gal receptors essential for mammalian-adapted IAV binding. We also found SA α2,3-gal receptors in the examined tissues of all species, although to a lesser extent. Notably, an A(H5N1) clade 2.3.4.4b virus demonstrated binding to both ruminant (cattle) and nonruminant (pigs) species' mammary tissue. These findings provide crucial insights into the potential for HPAI H5N1 to infect and spread within the mammary glands of these production animals, as well as humans.

While most cases of human muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) are diagnosed as conventional urothelial carcinoma (UC), there is growing recognition of histologic subtypes and divergent differentiation within conventional UC. In this study, 31 dogs with UC (33 slides) were evaluated for histologic subtypes and divergent differentiation, as specified by the recent World Health Organization update on the classification of urinary bladder cancers. Slides were reviewed by a medical uropathologist and 3 board-certified veterinary pathologists and assessed for expression of uroplakin III, vimentin, and E-cadherin. All tumors were classified as UC. Fifteen cases were identified as conventional UC. Among the remainder, 8 displayed glandular differentiation, 4 were classified as sarcomatoid UC, 2 showed squamous differentiation, 1 case was classified as a large nested subtype, and 1 case was classified as a tubular/microcystic subtype. This study found a higher frequency of certain histologic subtypes and divergent differentiation in canine UC, particularly sarcomatoid UC and UC with glandular differentiation, compared to previous reports of both canine UC and human MIBC. The relatively high prevalence of the sarcomatoid UC and UC with glandular differentiation in dogs observed in this study suggests that canine UC may serve as a valuable translational model for evaluating novel therapeutic agents, particularly for these rare and aggressive subtypes in humans.

Parvoviruses have compact genomic organizations with overlapping open reading frames and thus utilize alternative RNA processing strategies, alternative splicing, alternative polyadenylation, and alternative translation mechanisms to generate a range of diverse proteins encoded within their genome. This comprehensive review provides an update on recent insights into the diverse mRNA processing mechanisms utilized by members of the Parvoviridae family, with emphasis on Bocaparvoviruses and Dependoparvoviruses to expand their protein repertoire and maintain their replicative advantage in infected host cells. It highlights the role of Bocaparvovirus ancillary nonstructural protein NP1; the first parvovirus protein involved in mRNA processing, specifically alternative splicing and alternative polyadenylation.