Naturally occurring recombination in ferret coronaviruses revealed by complete genome characterization.
Ferret coronaviruses (FRCoVs) exist as an enteric and a systemic pathotype, of which the latter is highly lethal to ferrets. To our knowledge, this study provides the first full genome sequence of a FRCoV, tentatively called FRCoV-NL-2010, which was detected in 2010 in ferrets in The Netherlands. Phylogenetic analysis showed that FRCoV-NL-2010 is most closely related to mink CoV, forming a separate clade of mustelid alphacoronavirus that split off early from other alphacoronaviruses. Based on sequence homology of the complete genome, we propose that these mustelid coronaviruses may be assigned to a new species. Comparison of FRCoV-NL-2010 with the partially sequenced ferret systemic coronavirus MSU-1 and ferret enteric coronavirus MSU-2 revealed that recombination in the spike, 3c and envelope genes occurred between different FRCoVs.
Department of Viroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Mart M
MM
Lamers
Department of Viroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Saskia L
SL
Smits
Department of Viroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Gadissa B
GB
Hundie
Department of Viroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Lisette B
LB
Provacia
Department of Viroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Marion
M
Koopmans
Artemis One Health, Utrecht, The Netherlands.|Center for Infection Medicine and Zoonoses Research, University of Veterinary Medicine, Hannover, Germany.
Albert D M E
ADME
Osterhaus
Department of Viroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Bart L
BL
Haagmans
Department of Viroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
V Stalin
VS
Raj
D000818:Animals; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D017934:Coronavirus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D018352:Coronavirus Infections / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D005289:Ferrets / Q000821:virology*; D016679:Genome, Viral; D009426:Netherlands; D010802:Phylogeny; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics*; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017385:Sequence Homology
D012367:RNA, Viral