title: Identification and characterization of bocaviruses in cats and dogs reveals a novel feline bocavirus and a novel genetic group of canine bocavirus.
abstract: We report the identification and genome characterization of a novel bocavirus, feline bocavirus (FBoV), and novel bocaviruses closely related to canine bocavirus (CBoV) strain Con-161 in stray cats and dogs in Hong Kong, respectively. FBoV was detected by PCR in 7.2, 0.3, 1.6, 2.0 and 0.8% of faecal, nasal, urine, kidney and blood samples, respectively, from 364 cats, while CBoV was detected in 4.6, 5.1, 6.3 and 0.3% of faecal, nasal, urine and blood samples, respectively, from 351 dogs. Three FBoV genomes sequenced revealed the presence of three ORFs characteristic of bocaviruses. Phylogenetic analysis showed that FBoVs were related only distantly to other bocaviruses, forming a distinct cluster within the genus, with ≤ 5.7% nucleotide identities to the genome of minute virus of canines. The four CBoV genomes sequenced shared 87.4-89.2% nucleotide identities with that of CBoV strain Con-161. In addition to the three bocavirus ORFs, they encoded an additional ORF, ORF4, immediately downstream of the ORF for non-structural protein 1 (NS1), which was not found in other bocaviruses including CBoV strain Con-161. They also possessed a putative second exon encoding the C-terminal region of NS1 and conserved RNA-splicing signals, previously described in human bocaviruses. Partial VP1/VP2 sequence analysis of 23 FBoV and 25 CBoV strains demonstrated inter-host genetic diversity, with two potential genetic groups of FBoV and a novel CBoV group, CBoV-HK, distinct from the three groups, CBoV-A to -C, found in the USA. Although the pathogenicity of FBoV and CBoV remains to be determined, their presence in different host tissues suggested wide tissue tropism.
authors.affiliation: Research Centre of Infection and Immunology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.|State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Hong Kong.|Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.|Carol Yu Centre for Infection, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Susanna K P
authors.initials: SKP
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Hong Kong.|Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.|Research Centre of Infection and Immunology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.|Carol Yu Centre for Infection, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Patrick C Y
authors.initials: PCY
authors.lastname: Woo
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Hazel C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Yeung
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Jade L L
authors.initials: JLL
authors.lastname: Teng
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Ru
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bai
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Rachel Y Y
authors.initials: RYY
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.affiliation: Research Centre of Infection and Immunology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.|Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.|Carol Yu Centre for Infection, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.|State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Kwok-Hung
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.affiliation: Carol Yu Centre for Infection, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.|Research Centre of Infection and Immunology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.|Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.|State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Kwok-Yung
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Yuen
mesh_terms: D000825:Animal Structures / Q000821:virology; D000818:Animals; D052660:Bocavirus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000821:virology*; D002415:Cats; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000821:virology*; D004285:Dogs; D023061:Gene Order; D016679:Genome, Viral; D006723:Hong Kong; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D010322:Parvoviridae Infections / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D010802:Phylogeny; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral