What species is thought to have first transmitted the H3N8 influenza virus to dogs?

Prepare for the TEDA Emerging and Exotic Diseases of Animals Exam with our interactive quizzes. Challenge yourself with multiple choice questions and detailed explanations to enhance your learning and boost your confidence for the exam!

Multiple Choice

What species is thought to have first transmitted the H3N8 influenza virus to dogs?

Explanation:
Interspecies transmission can occur when a virus that thrives in one species manages to infect another. For the H3N8 canine influenza, the strain that infected dogs originated in horses. Genetic and outbreak investigations traced the canine H3N8 outbreak to an equine H3N8 virus, which crossed from horses to dogs (not from birds, cats, or rodents). Once in dogs, the virus adapted to the canine host and circulated within dog populations, especially in racing greyhounds. So, horses are the species thought to have first transmitted H3N8 to dogs.

Interspecies transmission can occur when a virus that thrives in one species manages to infect another. For the H3N8 canine influenza, the strain that infected dogs originated in horses. Genetic and outbreak investigations traced the canine H3N8 outbreak to an equine H3N8 virus, which crossed from horses to dogs (not from birds, cats, or rodents). Once in dogs, the virus adapted to the canine host and circulated within dog populations, especially in racing greyhounds. So, horses are the species thought to have first transmitted H3N8 to dogs.

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