A novel porcine gammaherpesvirus

A novel porcine gammaherpesvirus was detected in the blood of domestic pigs by PCR. With degenerate-primer PCR and subsequent long-distance PCR approaches a 60-kbp genome stretch was amplified. Sequence analysis revealed the presence of the gammaherpesvirus ORFs 03 to 46 as well as a putative chemokine receptor and a v-bcl-2 gene. The 60-kbp sequence was compared with the corresponding sequence of the porcine lymphotropic herpesvirus 1 (PLHV-1) published recently and the sequence of PLHV-2, which was amplified from porcine tonsil. Considerable sequence differences (amino acid identities: 49–89%) were found between the novel virus and PLHV-1 as well as PLHV-2, which were very closely related to each other (amino acid identities: 85–98%). The novel virus had essentially the same genome organization as PLHV-1 and -2 and was therefore designated PLHV-3. Like PLHV-1 and -2, PLHV-3 was frequently found in the blood and in lymphoid organs of domestic and feral pigs from different geographic locations. In the blood, the PLHVs were detected predominantly in B-cells. Indication for latent as well as productive PLHV-3 infection was found in the porcine B-cell line L23. It can be concluded that the PLHVs are widespread and are likely to cause a persistent B-lymphotropic infection. Since PLHV-1 has been implicated in the development of porcine posttransplantation lymphoproliferative disease, all porcine lymphotropic gammaherpesviruses are of concern when pigs are used as donors in xenotransplantation.