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Bovine rhinitis B virus (BRBV) is an emerging viral species in the genus Aphthovirus, family Picornaviridae. Studies suggested that BRBV was considered a potential etiological agent of bovine respiratory disease complex (BRDC). BRBV has been reported in the United States, Sweden, Canada, Japan, and Mexico. However, little information of BRBV was available in China. In this study, we performed viral metagenomic analysis in a calf with respiratory disease. The results showed high abundance (3.85) of BRBV nucleotide and 248 mapped reads in calf samples. Online BLASTn analysis showed that three contigs of those had the highest nucleotide similarity (95%) with one Swedish BRBV isolate (BRBV_SWE1, GenBank accession no. KY432299). To identify the genome characterization of the Chinese BRBV isolate (designated CHN1), six couples of overlapping RT-PCR primers were designed according to genome sequences of BRBV_SWE1. Through gene cloning and splicing, we obtained the genome information of CHN1, possessing 7,465 nucleotides (46.6% G+C). Although CHN1 had the highest nucleotide similarity (95.1%) with BRBV_SWE1, one 11-nucleotide (ACATTTGTTGT) deletion occurred in the 5′ untranslated region compared to SWE1. Phylogenetic analysis showed that CHN1 clustered together with BRBV_SWE1, and far from other BRBV isolates. This study recorded the first discovery of BRBV infection in China. Further investigation should be made in order to evaluate the infection status and epidemiological significance of BRBV in China.

Wen-Kang Wei and Qin-Ling Chen are also at the Agro-biological Gene Research Center, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences Since the discovery of SARS-CoV-2 in Wuhan city, China, it has been reported in over 200 other countries and caused a global pandemic. Although some studies have suggested that bats and pangolins were potential hosts, the origin of SARS-CoV-2 remains unknown and the infection evidence of transmission from animals to people is not well established.1 On 28 February and 19 March …

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is considered an important economic pathogen for the international swine industry. At present, both PRRSV-1 and PRRSV-2 have been confirmed to be co-circulating in China. However, there is little available information about the prevalence or distribution of PRRSV-1 in Guangdong province, southern China. In this study, we performed molecular detection of PRRSV-1 in 750 samples collected from 50 farms in 15 major pig farming regions in this province. After RT-PCR testing, 64% (32/50) of farms were confirmed as PRRSV-1-positive. Surprisingly, PRRSV-1 was circulating on at least one pig farm in all 15 regions; of the 750 samples, 186 samples (24.8%) were positive for PRRSV-1. Furthermore, 15 representative PRRSV-1 ORF5 sequences (606 bp) (n = 1 per region) were obtained from those PRRSV-1-positive regions. Sequence alignment analysis indicated that they shared 81.8% ~ 100% nucleotide and 81.2% ~ 100% amino acid similarity with each other. Although all current PRRSV-1 sequences were divided into pandemic subtype 1, most of them had unique glycoprotein-5 amino acid sequences that are significantly different from other known PRRSV-1 isolates. To conclude, the present findings revealed wide geographical distribution of PRRSV-1 in Guangdong province, southern China. This study further extends the epidemiological significance of PRRSV-1 in China.

Since the first report of porcine kobuvirus (PKV) in 2008, it has been confirmed that PKV is widely present in several countries and plays an important role in diarrhoea outbreak in pigs. Studies have shown that the biggest difference among PKVs is the presence or absence of a specific 30-amino acid (aa) sequence in the 2B region of the polyprotein gene. Based on this unique feature, most PKV sequences could be divided into two groups (Group 1 without deletion and Group 2 with deletion), but a few sequences did not follow this rule due to possible recombination. In this study, two PKV genome sequences, designated JXAT2015 (8,123 nucleotide) and JXJC2015 (8,120 nucleotide), were identified on two different commercial swine farms with the severe diarrhoea outbreak accompanying with highly PKV infection (90%, 18/20) and moderate infection (40%, 8/20) of porcine bocavirus 1 (PBoV1) in Jiangxi province of China. Sequence analysis based on the polyprotein gene showed that they shared low nucleotide similarity (86.3%-88.1%) with other known PKVs. Although both possessed the 30-aa deletion in the 2B region, phylogenetic analysis showed that JXJC2015 was distinct from Group 1 and even Group 2, and formed a new Group (designated Group 3). The findings of this study further revealed genetic diversity and the possible pathogenic role of PKV in conjunction with other pathogens in piglets.

Porcine circovirus (PCV) is one of the smallest known DNA viruses in mammals. At present, PCVs are divided into three species, PCV1, PCV2, and PCV3. PCV1 and PCV2 were found in the 1970s and the 1990s, respectively, whereas PCV3 was discovered recently in 2016. PCV1 does not cause diseases in pigs. However, PCV3, similar to PCV2, is reported to be associated with several swine diseases, including porcine dermatitis and nephropathy syndrome (PDNS) and reproductive failure. PCVs are very common in domestic pigs as well as wild boars. However, PCVs have been occasionally isolated from non-porcine animals, including ruminants (such as cattle, goats, wild chamois, and roe deers), rodents (such as NMRI mice, BALB/c mice, Black C57 mice, ICR mice, Mus musculus, and Rattus rattus), canines (such as dogs, minks, foxes, and raccoon dogs), insects (such as flies, mosquitoes, and ticks), and shellfish. Moreover, PCVs are frequently reported in biological products, including human vaccines, animal vaccines, porcine-derived commercial pepsin products, and many cell lines. PCVs are also abundant in the environment, including water samples and air samples. Interestingly, PCV1 and/or PCV2 antibody or antigen has also been detected in sera, stool samples and respiratory swab samples of human, revealing zoonotic potential of PCVs. Thus, PCVs inhabit many types of reservoirs. In this review, we summarize the reservoirs of PCVs, and this information would be helpful in understanding the natural circulating status and possible cross-species transmission of PCVs.

Enzootic nasal tumor virus (ENTV) has two types, ENTV-1 in sheep and ENTV-2 in goats, respectively. In China, the incidence of ENTV-2 related diseases has increased year by year. In this study, we reported an outbreak of ENTV-2 in a commercial goat farm in Qingyuan city, Guangdong province, southern China. A full-length genome of ENTV-2 (designated GDQY2017), with 7479 base pairs, was sequenced. Although GDQY2017 shared the highest nucleotide identity with a Chinese ENTV-2 isolate (ENTV-2CHN4, GenBank accession number KU258873), it possesses distinct genome characteristics undescribed, including a non-continuous 21-nucleotide insertion in the gag gene and a non-continuous 12-nucleotide deletion in the env gene. Notably, most of these indel nucleotide sequences were originated from a Chinese jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (JSRV) isolate (GenBank accession number DQ838494). In the gag and env genes, GDQY2017 was phylogenetically related to those Chinese ENTV-2 isolates and a Chinese JSRV isolate (DQ838494). For GDQY2017-like viruses, more surveillance work should be made to explain their pathogenicity in goat herds. To our knowledge, this study represents the first to demonstrate the circulating pattern of ENTV-2 in Guangdong province, China, which will help to better understand the epidemiology and genetic diversity of ENTV-2.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) was considered as an important pathogen, which caused huge economic losses for the world swine industry annually. Until now, according to antigenic and genetic characteristics, two genotypes were identified, European (EU genotype, or type 1) genotype and North American genotype (NA genotype, or type 2), respectively. In China, both of them co-existed in swine herds, and even some novel viral strains emerged in the lastest years. The aim of the review was to describe genetic diversity of PRRSV based on non-structural protein 2 (Nsp2) in China, which could help us better understand molecular

Schmallenberg virus (SBV) is an emerging and rampant arbovirus in Europe, and even Africa and West Asia. Investigating whether SBV existed in new regions or countries, it was very helpful for the early warning and control of SBV. In this study, we collected 317 serum samples (n = 242 for dairy cattle, n = 13 for yellow cattle, n = 21 for buffalo, and n = 41 for goats) from Guangdong province of southern China, which is located in a subtropical region and is an important distribution area for arboviral diseases. A commercial competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA) kit and a previously established real-time PCR were used to detect SBV antibody and RNA in those serum samples. Via testing, serological evidence of SBV was confirmed, with total positive rates (57.4, 15.4, 19, and 9.8%) in dairy cattle, yellow cattle, buffalo, and goats, respectively, while no positive signal for SBV RNA was found. To summarize, this study for the first time provided preliminary serological evidence of SBV infection in China, East Asia. Further investigations on molecular evidence, origin, and pathogenesis of SBV in ruminants needed to be studied in China.

Previously, we identified three porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) strains in buffalo meat samples from southern China. In this study, we confirmed the reappearance of those buffalo-origin-like PCV2 strains in swine herds in this region, which supported the possible cross-species infection of PCV2 between buffalos and pigs under field conditions.

The detection results of qPCR for PCV3 in collected samples. (DOC 65Â kb)

African swine fever (ASF), caused by ASF virus (ASFV), is one of the most serious infectious diseases affecting pigs. In 1921, ASFV was first discovered in Kenya, Eastern Africa.1 In the 1950s, it rapidly spread across Europe including Spain, Portugal, Italy and France. But in the mid-1990s, ASFV was eradicated from Europe, with the exception of Sardinia. However, it was introduced into Georgia in 2007, and then spread through Eastern Europe, including Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Romania, Moldova, Czech …

Members of the family Anelloviridae are emerging circular DNA viruses infecting many species of vertebrates including pigs. To date, members of two distinct genera, Iotatorquevirus, including torque teno sus virus 1a and torque teno sus virus 1b (TTSuV1a and TTSuV1b), and Kappatorquevirus, including torque teno sus virus k2a and torque teno sus virus k2b (TTSuVk2a and TTSuVk2b), have been identified in domestic pigs and wild boars. The goal of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and genetic diversity of these viruses based on 5' non-coding genes in Chinese swine herds experiencing clinical symptoms. One hundred eighty-five clinical samples from 11 different regions, collected during 2008-2009, were analyzed using a PCR method, and the results revealed a high TTSuV-positive rate of 78.9 % (146/185) in pigs. Moreover, we detected co-infection with multiple TTSuV strains in the same pig. Nucleotide sequencing results revealed greater genetic diversity within the genus Kappatorquevirus than within the genus Iotatorquevirus. In addition, TTSuVk2b, a novel virus discovered in New Zealand in 2012, was also identified in this study. In summary, the present work helps us obtain more knowledge about the epidemiology and genetic diversity of TTSuVs.

Background Following the initial isolation of porcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV) from pigs with diarrheal disease in the United States in 2014, the virus has been detected on swine farms in some provinces of China. To date, little is known about the molecular epidemiology of PDCoV in southern China where major swine production is operated. Results To investigate the prevalence of PDCoV in this region and compare its activity to other enteric disease of swine caused by porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), transmissible gastroenteritis coronavirus (TGEV), and porcine rotavirus group C (Rota C), 390 fecal samples were collected from swine of various ages from 15 swine farms with reported diarrhea. Fecal samples were tested by reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) that targeted PDCoV, PEDV, TGEV, and Rota C, respectively. PDCoV was detected exclusively from nursing piglets with an overall prevalence of approximate 1.28 % (5/390), not in suckling and fattening piglets. Interestingly, all of PDCoV-positive samples were from 2015 rather than 2012–2014. Despite a low detection rate, PDCoV emerged in each province/region of southern China. In addition, compared to TGEV (1.54 %, 5/390) or Rota C (1.28 %, 6/390), there were highly detection rates of PEDV (22.6 %, 88/390) in those samples. Notably, all five PDCoV-positive piglets were co-infected by PEDV. Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis of spike (S) and nucleocapsid (N) gene sequences of PDCoVs revealed that currently circulating PDCoVs in southern China were more closely related to other Chinese strains of PDCoVs than to those reported in United States, South Korea and Thailand. Conclusions This study demonstrated that PDCoV was present in southern China despite the low prevalence, and supported an evolutionary theory of geographical clustering of PDCoVs. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12985-016-0591-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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.

AA differences of Spike (S) and Nucleocapsid (N) protein between CH/GD01/2015 and CH/GD02/2015. (DOC 42Â kb)

AA differences of Spike (S) and Nucleocapsid (N) protein between CH/GD01/2015 and CH/GD02/2015. (DOC 42Â kb)

Sequence information of PDCoVs and other coronaviruses used in the present study. (DOC 106Â kb)

Sequence information of PDCoVs and other coronaviruses used in the present study. (DOC 106Â kb)

Reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV), an important immunosuppressive pathogen, has many hosts, including chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, and wild birds. Clinically, REV may lead to increased susceptibility to other pathogens, resulting in serious tissue damage (especially tumors) and the death of its host. In this study, we encountered a disease outbreak resulting in a large number of deaths of pigeons in Guangdong Province, Southern China. Histopathological analysis revealed apparent tumor-like lesions in multiple organs of pigeons. PCR assays for detection of tumor-associated pathogens (REV, avian leukosis virus, and Marek's disease virus) in poultry revealed the presence of REV sequences only. Moreover, fowlpox virus (FPV) with an insertion of REV long terminal repeat (LTR) sequences was also considered, but it was excluded using a specific PCR assay. To gain more genetic information, two full-length REV genome sequences were determined and found to have the highest nucleotide sequence similarity (99.9 %) and the closest genetic relationship to a vaccine strain (MD-2) and had a more distant genetic relationship (94.3 %) to a duck-origin strain (ATCC-VR775). To confirm the presence of REVs in pigeons, specific-pathogen-free (SPF) chickens and healthy pigeons were inoculated with microfiltered tumor tissue homogenates and were found to be susceptible to infection with REV. To our knowledge, this is the first report of REV in pigeons, and the data suggest that pigeons may be the natural host of REV.

One thousand and thirty Escherichia coli isolates from food animals, animals-derived foods, and companion animals between 2007 and 2008 in Southern China were used to investigate their antimicrobial susceptibility to 14 different antimicrobials by the standard agar dilution method. More than 70% of isolates showed resistance to tetracycline, trimethoprim-sulphamethoxazole, nalidixic acid, and ampicillin. In general, resistance was less frequent in companion animal isolates vs food animals isolates, but cephalosporin and amikacin resistance was more frequent in companion animal isolates, 42.6% to 56.2% vs 14.1% to 24.3%, and 28.5% vs 18.8%, respectively, which was most likely due to the common use of these antimicrobials as treatment in pet animals. Fluoroquinolones resistance was high in all animal isolates (>50%). Food products showed lowest resistance among isolates from these three resources. PFGE analysis indicated that a majority of multidrug-resistant E. coli isolates showed unique, unrelated PFGE profiles and were unlikely to be the spread of a specific clone. This study provides useful information about the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in E. coli isolated from animals and food products in China and provided evidence of the linkage of the use of antimicrobials in animals and its selection of antimicrobial resistance in bacterial isolates. The data from this study further warns the prudent use of antimicrobials in food and pet animals to reduce the risks of transmission of antimicrobial resistance zoonotic pathogen to humans.

Since 2013, the second outbreak of peste des petits ruminants (PPR) caused by Peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) has spread over more than 20 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions in China, resulting in major economic losses for livestock industry. In 2014, we encountered a clinical PPR case on a goat farm in Guangdong province, southern China. The complete genome of this PPRV strain, named CH/GDDG/2014, was sequenced to determine its similarities and differences with other strains. The CH/GDDG/2014 genome comprised 15,954 nucleotides (six nucleotides more than classical PPRVs identified before 2013, but complying with the rule of six) with six open reading frames encoding nucleocapsid protein, phosphoprotein, matrix protein, fusion protein, hemagglutinin, and large polymerase protein, respectively. The whole-genome-based alignment analysis indicated that CH/GDDG/2014 had the most proximate consensus (99.8 %) to China/XJYL/2013 and the least consensus (87.2 %) to KN5/2011. The phylogenetic analysis showed that CH/GDDG/2014 was clustered in one branch (lineage IV) with other emerging strains during the second outbreak. This study is the first report describing the whole-genome sequence of PPRV in Guangdong province, southern China and also suggests the PPR outbreak may be closely related to illegal cross-regional importation of goats.

Currently, porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) is considered the major pathogen of porcine circovirus associated-diseases (PCVAD) that causes large economic losses for the swine industry in the world annually, including China. Since the first report of PCV2 in 1998, it has been drawing tremendous attention for the government, farming enterprises, farmers, and veterinary practitioners. Chinese researchers have conducted a number of molecular epidemiological work on PCV2 by molecular approaches in the past several years, which has resulted in the identification of novel PCV2 genotypes and PCV2-like agents as well as the description of new prevalence patterns. Since late 2009, commercial PCV2 vaccines, including the subunit vaccines and inactivated vaccines, have already been used in Chinese swine farms. The aim of this review is to update the insights into the prevalence and control of PCV2 in China, which would contribute to understanding the epidemiology, control measures and design of novel vaccines for PCV2.

For the worldwide pig industries, porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) is an economically important pathogen. At present, the prevalence of PCV2 is common in Chinese swine herds. However, there is little information on PCV2 prevalence in non-porcine animals in China, such as bovids. Therefore, the goal of this study is to obtain the firsthand prevalence data of PCV2 in bovids in China. Two hundred and eighty serum and muscle samples from dairy cows (n = 180), buffalo (n = 50), and yellow cattle (n = 50) were analyzed by PCR. The detection results show that PCV2 infections (16 %, 8/50) only exist in buffaloes. In addition, there are different PCV2 viral DNAs identified by differential PCR in the same buffalo sample. Nucleotide sequencing and phylogenetic analysis results based on partial ORF1 and ORF2 sequences suggest that PCV2 strains have genetic diversity in buffaloes and they are divided into three different genotypes (PCV2b, PCV2d, and PCV2e, respectively). Moreover, to our knowledge, the PCV2d and PCV2e genotypes have not been previously reported in bovids. Through this study, the firsthand data of PCV2 prevalence in bovids in China was documented.

Ruminal impaction is considered an important internal disease in ruminants, such as dairy cows, sheep, and goats. It has been reported that its occurrence is associated with many different causes. This study describes a novel case of ruminal impaction caused by a plant, Ficus esquiroliana Levl., in Boer goats. This case suggests that Ficus esquiroliana should be taken into consideration when providing food for ruminants.