Identification of a novel bufavirus in domestic pigs by a viral metagenomic approach

Abstract

Bufavirus is a single-stranded DNA virus belonging to the genus Protoparvovirus. This study reports the identification and characterization of a porcine bufavirus by a metagenomic approach, and a limited epidemiology investigation of bufavirus in 6 swine farms. A comparative genome analysis showed a similarity of 93% to a Hungarian porcine bufavirus. Bayesian and maximum likelihood analyses of genome sequences showed a close relationship of porcine bufaviruses to human and monkey bufaviruses. Molecular dating of the most recent common ancestors supported a recent introduction of bufaviruses into human and pig populations, respectively. A real-time PCR method was developed to screen 60 fecal samples for the porcine bufavirus DNA, and eight positive samples were found in two neighboring farms, suggesting a relatively low prevalence (13.3%). No direct transmission of porcine bufaviruses between two neighboring farms was found, suggesting that bufaviruses may have spread much widely in different geographical regions.