Abstract
Porcine circovirus 3 (PCV3) is a recently discovered member of the Circoviridae family. So far, its presence has been reported in North America, Asia, South America, and Europe. In this study, blood and tissue samples from 189 Sardinian suids (34 domestic pigs, 115 feral free ranging pigs, and 39 wild boars) were used to genetically characterize the PCV3 strains from Sardinia. PCV3 infection in the animals was confirmed by real time PCR. The detection rate in the three groups analyzed was l7.64% in domestic pigs, 77.39% in free ranging pigs, and 61.54% in wild boars. Moreover, our results showed that co-infection of PCV3 with other viruses is quite a common occurrence. Molecular characterization of Sardinian PCV3 strains was performed by sequencing 6 complete genomes and 12 complete cap genes. Our results revealed that there is a high similarity between our strains and those identified in different countries, confirming the genetic stability of PCV3 regardless of geographical origin. Haplotype network analysis revealed the presence of 6 whole genomes or 12 unique ORF2 haplotypes and a nonsynonymous mutation in ORF2 that leads to an R14K amino acid substitution. Phylogenetic analysis of whole genome and ORF2 was also conducted. The Sardinian strains were allocated in three different clusters of phylogenetic trees of both complete genome and ORF2. With this study, we have provided a snapshot of PCV3 circulation in Sardinia. Our findings might help to achieve a deeper understanding of this emerging porcine virus.
Highlights
Porcine circoviruses (PCV) are small, single-stranded, non-enveloped DNA viruses with a circular genome [1]
The Porcine circovirus 3 (PCV3) genome was detected in three animals and three fetuses
This study is the first to describe the presence of PCV3 in Sardinian domestic pigs, free ranging pigs, and wild boars
Summary
Porcine circoviruses (PCV) are small, single-stranded, non-enveloped DNA viruses with a circular genome [1]. Three species in the genus Circovirus have been identified: PCV1, PCV2, and PCV3 [2]. A new circovirus was identified in China and tentatively designated as porcine circovirus type 4 (PCV4) [3]. PCV1 was initially described in the 1970s and it is regarded as non-pathogenic [4], whereas PCV2, first isolated in the early 1990s, has important financial impact on pork production due to increased mortality, reproduction failure, and reduced growth rate in pigs infected with PCV2 [5]. PCV2 infection can be subclinical or associated with several syndromes, commonly known as porcine. PCV2 is considered endemic in many pork-producing countries
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