title: Molecular detection and genome characterization of porcine circovirus type 2 in rats captured on commercial swine farms.
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.
authors.affiliation: Animal Disease Diagnostic Center, Institute of Animal Health, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, China.|Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Disease Prevention and Guangdong Open Laboratory of Veterinary Public Health, Guangzhou, 510640, China.
authors.forename: Shao-Lun
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Zhai
authors.affiliation: Guangdong Wens Dahuanong Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Xinxing, 527400, China.
authors.forename: Sheng-Nan
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Guangdong Wens Dahuanong Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Xinxing, 527400, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Peng
authors.initials: XP
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China.
authors.forename: Su-Fang
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.affiliation: Animal Disease Diagnostic Center, Institute of Animal Health, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, China.|Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Disease Prevention and Guangdong Open Laboratory of Veterinary Public Health, Guangzhou, 510640, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Hui
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China.
authors.forename: Man-Lin
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Animal Disease Diagnostic Center, Institute of Animal Health, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, China. gdred@163.com.|Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Disease Prevention and Guangdong Open Laboratory of Veterinary Public Health, Guangzhou, 510640, China. gdred@163.com.
authors.forename: Dian-Hong
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Lv
authors.affiliation: Animal Disease Diagnostic Center, Institute of Animal Health, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, China. wwk188@tom.com.|Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Disease Prevention and Guangdong Open Laboratory of Veterinary Public Health, Guangzhou, 510640, China. wwk188@tom.com.
authors.forename: Wen-Kang
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: Guangdong Wens Dahuanong Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Xinxing, 527400, China. chensa727@126.com.|College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China. chensa727@126.com.
authors.forename: Rui-Ai
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002681:China; D018173:Circoviridae Infections / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D017925:Circovirus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D000072480:Farms; D016679:Genome, Viral; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D051381:Rats / Q000821:virology*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017385:Sequence Homology; D013552:Swine / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral
keywords: Genome characterization; Molecular detection; Porcine circovirus type 2; Rats; Rattus norvegicus