title: Identification of a novel species of papillomavirus in giraffe lesions using nanopore sequencing.
abstract: Papillomaviridae form a large family of viruses that are known to infect a variety of vertebrates, including mammals, reptiles, birds and fish. Infections usually give rise to minor skin lesions but can in some cases lead to the development of malignant neoplasia. In this study, we identified a novel species of papillomavirus (PV), isolated from warts of four giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis). The sequence of the L1 gene was determined and found to be identical for all isolates. Using nanopore sequencing, the full sequence of the PV genome could be determined. The coding region of the genome was found to contain seven open reading frames (ORF), encoding the early proteins E1, E2 and E5-E7 as well as the late proteins L1 and L2. In addition to these ORFs, a region located within the E2 gene is thought, based on sequence similarities to other papillomaviruses, to encode an E4 protein, although no start codon could be identified. Based on the sequence of the L1 gene, this novel PV was found to be most similar to Capreolus capreolus papillomavirus 1 (CcaPV1), with 67.96% nucleotide identity. We therefore suggest that the virus identified here is given the name Giraffa camelopardalis papillomavirus 1 (GcPV1) and is classified as a novel species within the genus Deltapapillomavirus, in line with the current guidelines for the nomenclature and classification of PVs.
authors.affiliation: KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Laboratory of Clinical Virology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Herestraat 49/Box 1040, BE3000 Leuven, Belgium. Electronic address: bert.vanmechelen@kuleuven.be.
authors.forename: Bert
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Vanmechelen
authors.affiliation: Center for Zoo and Wildlife Health, Copenhagen Zoo, Roskildevej 38, DK-2000 Frederiksberg, Denmark.
authors.forename: Mads Frost
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Bertelsen
authors.affiliation: KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Laboratory of Clinical Virology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Herestraat 49/Box 1040, BE3000 Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Annabel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rector
authors.affiliation: KU Leuven - University Hospitals Leuven, Department of Pathology, Laboratory Translational Cell and Tissue Research, Herestraat 49, BE3000 Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Joost J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Van den Oord
authors.affiliation: KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Laboratory of Clinical Virology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Herestraat 49/Box 1040, BE3000 Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Lies
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Laenen
authors.affiliation: KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Laboratory of Clinical Virology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Herestraat 49/Box 1040, BE3000 Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Valentijn
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vergote
authors.affiliation: KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Laboratory of Clinical Virology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Herestraat 49/Box 1040, BE3000 Leuven, Belgium. Electronic address: piet.maes@kuleuven.be.
authors.forename: Piet
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Maes
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D052687:Deltapapillomavirus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016679:Genome, Viral / Q000235:genetics*; D000068276:Giraffes / Q000821:virology*; D008297:Male; D058608:Nanopores; D016366:Open Reading Frames / Q000235:genetics; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D010802:Phylogeny; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA / Q000662:veterinary; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology
keywords: GcPV1; Giraffe; Nanopore sequencing; Papillomavirus