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Molecular detection and genome characterization of porcine circovirus type 2 in rats captured on commercial swine farms

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Abstract

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) is considered the major etiological pathogen of porcine circovirus-associated diseases (PCVADs) in pigs. Recently, PCV2 was also found in non-porcine animals such as cattle, rats, and mice. However, there was no record of PCV2 in rats in China. The goal of this study was to investigate whether PCV2 was present in rats (Rattus norvegicus, RN) on three swine farms, using molecular tools. PCR results showed that 30 of 95 (31.6 %) rat samples were positive for PCV2. Moreover, further genotype analysis suggested that 10 of 30 (33.3 %) were positive for PCV2a, 19 of 30 (63.3 %) were positive for PCV2b, and only one sample (1/30, 3.33 %) was co-infected by PCV2a and PCV2b. To determine the possible origin of PCV2, 60 serum samples were also collected from weaned pigs on those swine farms, and 23 out of 60 samples were positive for PCV2. In addition, two distinct RN-origin and two distinct porcine-origin PCV2 full-length nucleotide sequences were obtained from the farms. Sequence and phylogenetic analysis indicated that they had the highest nucleotide similarity and closest genetic relationships to each other. In this study, we report the infection and genome characterization of PCV2 in rats and compare RN-origin and porcine-origin PCV2 sequences obtained from the same pig farm, revealing possible cross-species transmission of PCV2.

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Acknowledgments

We are very grateful to three anonymous reviewers for the critical review. This study was supported by Grants (No. 2013B060500063, No. 2014B040404061, No. 2016A040401012 and No. 2015A020208008) from the Guangdong Provincial Department of Science and Technology and a Grant (No. 201508020055) from the Guangzhou Science Technology and Innovation Commission.

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Animal Disease Diagnostic Center, Institute of Animal Health, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, China

      Shao-Lun Zhai, Xiao-Hui Wen, Dian-Hong Lv & Wen-Kang Wei

    2. Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Disease Prevention and Guangdong Open Laboratory of Veterinary Public Health, Guangzhou, 510640, China

      Shao-Lun Zhai, Xiao-Hui Wen, Dian-Hong Lv & Wen-Kang Wei

    3. Guangdong Wens Dahuanong Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Xinxing, 527400, China

      Sheng-Nan Chen, Wei Liu & Rui-Ai Chen

    4. College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China

      Xiao-Peng Li, Su-Fang Deng, Man-Lin Luo & Rui-Ai Chen

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    1. Shao-Lun Zhai
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    S.-L. Zhai, S.-N. Chen and W. Liu contributed equally to this study.

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    Zhai, SL., Chen, SN., Liu, W. et al. Molecular detection and genome characterization of porcine circovirus type 2 in rats captured on commercial swine farms. Arch Virol 161, 3237–3244 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00705-016-3004-7

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