First report of a pseudorabies virus in porcupines: Genomic characterization of a recombinant strain and safety assessment of the Bartha-K61 vaccine.

Pseudorabies virus (PRV) is an emerging zoonotic respiratory virus that has garnered increasing attention owing to its capacity of cross-species transmission. Here, we describe a PRV infection in porcupines and report, for the first time, the isolation, identification, pathogenicity, and genetic characterization of a porcupine PRV strain, designated FJ/porcupine/2018. During this porcupine PRV infection, the use of attenuated Bartha-K61 vaccine resulted in widespread mortality on this farm. Therefore, this study further evaluates the safety profile of Bartha-K61 in porcupines, demonstrating its high pathogenicity to this species. These findings underscore the necessity for ongoing surveillance and the development of wildlife-specific vaccines or broadly protective intervention strategies against this economically significant and evolving pathogen.