Molecular detection of porcine circovirus type 3 in Shanxi Province,China

Porcine circovirus type 3(PCV3),which was first detected in the United States of America in 2015,is a potential threat to the swine industry.However,the prevalence of PCV3 in Shanxi Province,China,is unclear.In this research,the prevalence and genetic diversity of PCV3 were investigated in above area.Lung tissue samples(n=491)from 19 pig slaughterhouses across 11 cities throughout Shanxi Province were analyzed for PCV3 infection by PCR in 2019.The results showed that PCV3 positive rates in slaughterhouses and individuals were 100%(19/19)and 86.76%(426/491),respectively.PCV2 and PCV3 double-positive rates in slaughterhouses and individuals were 100%(19/19)and 59.27%(291/491),respectively.PCR positive samples were further sequenced and 8 PCV3 isolates were identified.The nucleotide homology of these isolates with other PCV3 isolates in NCBI database was 97.45-99.90%.A phylogenetic analysis,based on the complete genomic sequence and ORF2,divided these PCV3 strains into 2 major groups.Based on A24A/and R27/K amino acid mutations of capsid protein,the 8 identified PCV3 strains were separated to 2 clades.This was the first detailed investigation into the epidemiology of PCV3 in Shanxi Province.Our findings enabled us to assess the possibility of widespread transmission from this region.Thus,current findings establish a basis for further studies of genetic variations in PCV3 strains circulating in China.

Host immune response to infection with porcine circoviruses

Porcine circovirus type 2(PCV2),which serves as a major causative agent of PCV2-associated diseases and causes severe loss to the pig industry worldwide,can dysregulate the immune response and induce immunosuppression in PCV2-infected pigs.Similar to PCV2(porcine circovirus type 3(PCV3),a newly identified swine circovirus which might be closely associated with porcine dermatitis and nephropathy syndrome,reproductive disorder,and multisystemic inflammatoty responses,also interferes with host immune defense.Interaction between host immune system and PCVs is considered to be a crucial determinant of pathogenicity in pigs.Here,we sought to briefly discuss the current knowledge regarding the interaction of porcine circovirus type 2 and/or 3 with host immune cells and immune responses to better depict the viral immunomodulatory capacity,pathogenic mechanisms,and the future research direction in host immune responses to infection with PCV2 and PCV3.

The codon-optimized capsid gene of duck circovirus can be highly expressed in yeast and self-assemble into virus-like particles

The capsid （Cap） protein, which is the only structural protein of duck circovirus （DuCV）, is the most important antigen for the development of vaccines against DuCV and the virus＇s serological diagnostic methods. In order to use yeast expression system to produce a large quantities of DuCVCap protein which is close to its natural form to display the antigen peptides perfectly, the Cap gene was optimized into the codon-optimized capsid （Opt-Cap） gene towards the preference of yeast firstly. Then, the genes of Cap and Opt-Cap were separately cloned into pPIC9K plasmid and transformed into Picha pas- toris GSl15. The strains that displayed the phenotype of Mut~ and contained multiple inserts of expression cassette were selected from those colonies. After the induction expression, the secretory type of Cap protein, which was about 43 kDa, was best expressed under 0.5% （v/v） methanol and sorbitol induction. Compared with the Cap gene, the expression level of Opt-Cap gene was much higher. What＇s more, the purified Cap protein had a good reactivity to its specific polyclone antibody and DuCV-positive serum, and it was able to self-assemble into virus-like particles （VLPs）. These VLPs, with a diameter of 15-20 nm and without a nucleic acid structure, showed a high level of similarity to DuCV particles in size and shape. All of the resultsdemonstrated that, based on the codon-optimization, it is suitable to use the P. pastoris expression system to produce DuCV VLPs on a large scale. It is the first time that a large amounts of DuCV VLPs were produced successfully in P. pastoris, which might be particularly useful for the further studies of serological diagnosis and vaccines of DuCV.

Homology Modelling and Structural Comparisons of Capsid-Associated Proteins from Circoviruses Reveal Important Virus-Specific Surface Antigens

Circoviridae represent a growing family of small animal viruses. Some of these viruses have veterinary and medical importance, although, a vast amount of these newly discovered viruses have unknown effects on their hosts. The capsid-associated protein (Cap) of circoviruses is of interest because of its role in viral structure, immune evasion, host cell entry, and nuclear shuttling of viral components. The structure of the porcine circovirus 2 (PCV2) Cap has been solved and offered insight to these functions. Based on the crystallographic PCV2 Cap structure, models from circoviruses isolated from avian, fish, and mammalian hosts have been constructed and analyzed to better understand the roles of these proteins in the virus family. A high degree of conservation is observed in the models, however, the surface antigens differ among viruses. This is likely a reflection of the small genome harbored by circoviruses, and therefore the requirement of their few proteins to carry out specific vital functions, while maintaining enough variation to successfully infect their hosts. Here we describe the putative structures of a range of Cap proteins from circoviruses based on the crystallographic determination of porcine Cap, identifying key regions for function and inhibition of crystal formation.

Mouse models of porcine circovirus 2 infection

PCV2 is considered the main pathogen of porcine circovirus diseases and porcine circovirus-associated diseases(PCVD/PCVAD). However, the exact mechanism underlying PCVD/PCVAD is currently unknown. Mouse models of PCV2 are valuable experimental tools that can shed light on the pathogenesis of infection and will enable the evaluation of antiviral agents and vaccine candidates. In this review, we discuss the current state of knowledge of mouse models used in PCV2 research that has been performed to date, highlighting their strengths and limitations, as well as prospects for future PCV2 studies.

Advances in Laboratory Diagnostic Methods for Duck Circovirus Infection

Duck circovirus infection is an immunosuppressive disease that is characterized by growth retardant and odd deaths. Its infection is usually combined with other pathogens, making the clinical diagnosis more difficult. With the rapid development of molecular biological and immunological technologies, the laboratory diagnostic methods for duck circovirus infection also advance greatly. The paper summarizes the research advances in various laboratory detection methods for duck cireovirus infection including PCR, nested PCR, multiple PCR, fluorescence quantitative PCR, LAMP, nucleic acid probe and ELISA, as well as their ad- vantages and shortages, aiming at providing reference for finding novel detection methods and for the diagnosis and comprehensive prevention and control.

Recent Advances in Epidemiology of Porcine Circovirus Type 2 and Diagnosis of Porcine Circovirus-Associated Diseases

Porcine cimovirus （PCV） is the smallest animal virus so far and has two serotypes. PCV1 is nonpathogenic, but PCV2 is pathogenic and causes post-weaning multisystemic wasting syndrome （ PMWS）. Factors to induce PMWS include immunity and infection status of sows, infec- tion time, mixed infection, PCV2 variants, physical status of gilts, and feeding management. For final diagnosis, histopathological changes and ex- istence of PCV2 in lymphoid tissues are professional standards, because fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR is not enough specific or sensitive. The commemial PCV2 vaccines can reduce occurrence of PMWS and PCV-related diseases. This paper reviews recent advances in epidemiology of PCV2 as well as diagnosis and control of PMWS.

Phylogenetic Relationship Analysis of the Complete Genomes of Porcine Circovirus Type 2( PCV2) Strains Isolated from Hainan Province

[ Objective] This study aimed to investigate the molecular characteristics of porcine circovirus type 2 （PCV2） strains isolated from Hainan Province. [ Method] The complete genome of PCV2 was amplified from PMWS-suspected samples by PCR for sequence analysis. [ Result] A total of eight PCV2 strains were isolated and identified. All the eight isolates belonged to genotype PCV2b, among which seven isolates belonged to subgenotype PCV2b-1 C, and one isolate be- longed to subgenotype PCV2b-IA/1B. ORF2 gene of PCV2 isolates from Hainan Province was 705 bp in length, encoding 234 amino acids. Antigenic epitopes of Cap protein exhibited certain changes. Nucleotide sequences and deduced amino acid sequences of ORF2 gene shared 95.3% -99.7% and 93.6% - 100% simi- larities among eight PCV2 isolates from Hainan Province, respectively. Moreover, nucleotide sequences and deduced amino acid sequences of ORF2 gene of PCV2 isolates from Hainan Province shared 91.0% -99.9% and 91.0% -99.6% similarities with other PCV2 strain isolated from China （AY682994, AF381175, JX945577, JX682407, AY180397 ）, respectively; nucleotide sequences and deduced amino acid sequences of ORF2 gene of PCV2 isolates from Hainan Province shared 90.0% - 97.0% and 88.0% -97.9% similarities with PCV2 isolates from other countries （ NC_005148, JQ994268, KJ187306, AF201307, AF454546, AY＂/Sd020）, respectively; nucleotide sequences and deduced amino acid sequences of ORF2 gene of PCV2 isolates from Hainan Province shared 98.2% -100% and 94.9% -100% similarities with vaccine strain SH, respectively; nucleotide sequences and deduced amino acid sequences of ORF2 gene of PCV2 isolates from Hainan Province shared 90.6% -91.7% and 89.7% - 91.0% similarities with vaccine strain LG, respectively. [ Conclusion] This study provided theoretical hasis for the prevention and control of PCV2 and selection of vaccine strains in Hainan Province.

Expression of Porcine Circovirus Type 2 ORF2 Gene in Myocardial Cells of Detached Cherry Valley Duck

The objective of this study was to construct the recombinant eukaryotic expression plasmid of ORF2 gene harboring enhanced green fluorescent protein （EGFP） report gene. ORF2 gene of porcine circovirus type 2 cloned by PCR was ligated to the expression vector pEGFP-N1, which contains enhanced green fluorescent protein （EGFP） report gene, the recombinant eukaryotic expression plasmid pEGFP-N1-ORF2 was constructed successfully and was transfected into pre- pared duck myocardial cells （DMCs） by lipofectin. According to the result, the fluorescence expression was directly detected with fluorescence microscope, and the expression of ORF2 were analyzed by RT-PCR and indirect immunofluorescence assay （IFA） respectively. About 48 h after transfection, green fluorescent can be observed on transfected cells ： T-PCR and IFA were positive. This indicated that ORF2 gene of PCV2 was expressed efficiently in transfected duck myocardial cells.

An Immunochromatographic Strip Test for Rapid Detection of Antibodies against Porcine Circovirus Type 2

Porcine cimovirus type 2 (PCV2) infection causes huge economic losses, but no serological method is available for batch detection of field samples. The aim of the study was to develop a method for large-batch detection of PCV2 infection. Colloidal gold-labeled staphylococcal protein A (SPA) was sprayed on glass fibers to prepare a conjugate pad. The recombinant ORF2 protein of PCV2 was blotted on the test line of the nitrocellulose (NC) membrane, and pig IgG was streaked on the control line of the NC membrane. Then, the immunochromatographic strip was used for detection of antibodies against PCV2. The results show that the strip test was simple and the results could be determined within 10 min with naked eyes. The test strip was highly specific for pig serum against PCV2 and no cross-reaction with pig serum against other pathogens was observed. The test strip had close similarity with ELISA. Storage at RT for 6 months did not affect the specificity and sensitivity obviously. A total of 324 clinical pig sera were detected by both ELISA and the developed test strip, and the coincidence was 98.77%. Therefore, the developed immunochromatographic strip is specific, sensitive, stable, fast and simple, and it is suitable for on-site detection of antibodies against PCV2.

Epidemiology Survey of Porcine Parvovirus and Porcine Circovirus Type 2 in Sichuan Province

[ Objective] The study aimed to analyze the prevalence of Porcine Parvovirus （PPV） and Porcine Circovirus Type 2 （ PCV2 ） and the mixed infection in Sichuan Province to lay the foundation for further predicting the tendency of the plague and formulating appropriate prevention and control strategies. [ Method] Two hundred and seventy -three samples were collected from 21 large pig farms in Sichuan province, and epidemiology of PPV and PCV2 were investigated by PCR detecting. [ Result] The positive rate of PPV was 17.22% （47/273）, and positive rate of pig farms was 38.1% （8/21）, meanwhile it also displayed the feature that infection rate of boar was higher than that of piglets; The positive rate of PCV2 was 52.38% （143/273）, and positive rate of pig farms was 85.7% （18/21）, and it showed the trend that the infection rate of PCV2 was rising with the growth of the age. The co-infection rate of PPV and PCV2 was 10.62% （29/273）, and co-infection rate of pig farms was 28.7% （6/21）, which mainly concentrated in the sow and nursery piglets. Only 14.3% （3/21） pig farms was epidemiologically negative of PPV and PCV2. [ Conclusion] PPV and PCV2 and co-infection was widely popular in Sichuan province, and it did more serious harm to the pig-raising industry.

Establishment and Application of a Real-time Fluorescent Quantitative PCR Method for Detection of Porcine Circovirus Type 2

[ Objective ] To establish a real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction （PCR） method with SYBR Green I for the detection of porcine circovirus type 2 （PCV2）. [Methods] Specific primers were designed to amplify the conserved gene segments of PCV2 with a size of 177 bp by PCR. The ampli- fied gene was cloned into the vector of pMD 18-T and transformed into DHSct to screen positive clones. After being extracted and purified, the recombinant plasraids pMD 18-T-177 were taken as the standard DNA templates to establish the fluorescence quantitative PCR method for the detection of PCV2, and the PCR re- action conditions were optimized. [ Results] Ct value of the established PCR method showed a good linear relationship with the standard DNA templates within a viral load of 3.21 × 100 -4.16 × 108 copies/μL , the correlation coefficient was O. 998 8 and the slope was - 3.286. The method did not show any cress-reactions with the genomes of PRRSV, PCV1, CSFV, PRV, PPV and Escherichia coli. Sensitivity of this method was proved to be 3.21 × 10 copies/μL, which was 1 000 times higher as conventional PCR method. Variation coefficients of the repeated trims among same batch or different batches were both less than 3.00%. Positive rate of clinical samples detected by the established PCR method was 58.94%, which was significantly higher than the detection rate by conventional PCR. [ Conclusions ] A reM-time fluorescent quantitative PCR method with SYBR Green I for the detection of PCV2 was established, which was better for conducting the quan- titative analysis and the early diagnosis of PCV2 infection.

Prevalence and Countermeasures of Porcine Circovirus 3

The development history, etiology, epidemiology, clinical symptoms, pathological changes and diagnosis technology of porcine circovirus 3 were summarized, and countermeasures for prevention and control of the disease were put forward based on the prevalence status in China.

Isolation and Identification of Porcine Circovirus Type 2 in Taizhou

In September 2011, an infectious disease suspected to be postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome （PMWS） broke out in some pig farm in Taizhou. The inguinal lymph node, liver and lung tissues were collected and grinded into tissue suspension. The suspension was subjected to PCR detection, and the positive product was sequenced. The suspension of positive samples was filtered with 0.22 μm filter membrane, and the filtrate was inoculated onto PK15 cells. After five generations of blind passages, the cell viral liquid was collected and extracted for DNA, which was subjected to PCR detection and indirect immunofluorescence. The results showed that the isolate was porcine circovirus type 2 （PCV2） and designated as TAIZ110926. The target sequence was committed to NCBI with a serial number： KF039888.

Inducible Expression on Multi-epitope of Porcine Circovirus Type 2 and Its Immunological Competence

In order to obtain induction expressed porcine circovirus type 2（PCV2）multi-epitope with good immunogenicity in vitro.Major epitopes of PCV2 were screened in the test,epitopes were composed sequentially,the c DNA sequences were artificially synthesized.Bam HⅠand SalⅠwere directionally cloned into prokaryotic expression vector PEGX-4T-1 multiple cloning site,then BL21 competent cells were transformed,positive clones were screened,IPTG inducible expression was conducted.Expression on target gene was analyzed by SDS-PAGE,fusion protein polypeptide was extracted and purified,immunocompetence of the expressed multi-epitope protein was identified by Westernblot.BALB/c mouse was immuned by fusion protein polypeptide,the antibody was determined by ELISA,immunogenicity was evaluated.Results showed that expression recombinant plasmid pEGX-4T-1-ep contained with seven PCV2 antigen epitopes had been constructed successfully.SDS-PAGE analysis showed that fusion protein polypeptide was expressed effectively in Escherichia coli（E.coli）,and the molecular weight was about 35ku,which existed in the form of solubility.Results of Westernblot showed that the extraction and purification of fusion protein polypeptide and PCV2 positive serum had good reactogenicity.Results of ELISA showed that the purified fusion protein polypeptide could stimulate the body to produce PCV2 specific antibody which had good immunogenicity.Results indicated that the constructed PCV2 multi-epitope had good expression characteristics in vitro,and the expression protein had good immunogenicity.The study provided a basic for the study on PCV2 epitope screening,functional identification and multi-epitope vaccine.

Porcine Circovirus 2:Immunopathogenesis and Recent Developments in Vaccines

Porcine circovirus 2 (PCV2) is currently considered an important etiologic agent of swine and its infection has potentially serious economic impact on the swine industry worldwide. This virus is frequently associated with postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS), and also with other clinical conditions such as porcine dermatitis and nephropathy syndrome (PDNS), late-term abortions, reproductive failure in sows, proliferative and necrotizing pneumonia and congenital tremors. The term porcine circovirus-associated disease (PCVAD) is currently used to refer to any of these diseases when they are associated with PCV2 infection. The PCV2 was recognized as a pathogen in 1997, and many questions regarding its biology and pathogenesis remain unanswered. Currently, some studies have shown the production of new vaccine candidates and field efficacy testing of commercial vaccines. This review discusses some major points concerned with immunopathogenesis and vaccines for PCV2 infection.

Epizootiological surveillance of porcine circoviruses in free-ranging wild boars in China

Four species of porcine circoviruses(PCV1–4)have been reported to circulate in Chinese domestic pigs,while the epizootiology of these viruses in free-ranging wild boars in China remains unknown.In this study,tissue and serum samples collected from diseased or apparently healthy wild boars between 2018 and 2020 in 19 regions of China were tested for the prevalence of PCV1–4 infections.Positive rates of PCV1,PCV2,and PCV3 DNA in the tissue samples of Chinese wild boars were 1.6%(4/247),58.3%(144/247),and 10.9%(27/247)respectively,with none positive for PCV4.Sequence analysis of viral genome showed that the four PCV1 strains distributed in Hunan and Inner Mongolia shared 97.5%–99.6%sequence identity with global distributed reference strains.Comparison of the ORF2 gene sequences showed that 80 PCV2 strains widely distributed in 18 regions shared 79.5%–100%sequence identity with reference strains from domestic pigs and wild boars,and were grouped into PCV2a(7),PCV2b(31)and PCV2d(42).For PCV3,17 sequenced strains shared 97.2%–100%nucleotide identity at the genomic level and could be divided into PCV3a(3),PCV3b(2)and PCV3c(12)based on the phylogeny of ORF2 gene sequences.Serological data revealed antibody positive rates against PCV1 and PCV2 of 11.4%(19/167)and 53.9%(90/167)respectively.The data obtained in this study improved our understanding about the epidemiological situations of PCVs infection in free-ranging wild boars in China and will be valuable for the prevention and control of diseases caused by PCVs infection.

Complete nucleotide sequence of a novel porcine circovirus-like agent and its infectivity in vitro

A novel agent (hence termed as P2) was isolated from pig sera in China, which contained covalently bound circular genomic DNAs of 993 nucleotides. Sequence analyses indicated that the agent was closely related to the porcine circovirus (PCV). The molecular clone of P2 was constructed subsequently and used for the following studies. Intracytoplasmic inclusions and intranuclear inclusions were only found in PK-15 cells transfected with the tandem dimer of P2 molecular DNA clone. Intracytoplasmic inclusions were round or irregular in shape and 0.1-0.4 μm in diameter, and intranuclear inclusions were electronically denser than intracytoplasmic inclusions and had two general shapes: round/small (0.1 μm in diameter) and hexagonal/large (0.5―1.4 μm in diameter). The inclusions were not membranously bound. The cells transfected with the tandem dimer of P2 molecular DNA clone were tested positive for P2 DNA at passages 5. The P2 antigen could be detected in both transfected and passaged PK-15 cells. This is the first report regarding the complete nucleotide sequence of a small DNA genome in a circovirus-like infectious agent in vitro.

Mink Circovirus Can Infect Minks, Foxes and Raccoon Dogs

Dear Editor,Mink circovirus (MiCV), which is clustered in the genus Circovirus of the family Circoviridae, was first described in minks from farms in Dalian, China in 2013 (Lian et al.2014). The complete single-stranded circular genome of the virus is 1,753 nucleotides long and contains two major open reading frames (ORFs), designated ORF1 (Rep gene)and ORF2 (Cap gene)(Lian et al. 2014;Ge et al. 2018).

鳗鲡圆环病毒SYBR Green Ⅰ qPCR检测方法的建立与应用

为建立鳗鲡圆环病毒(Eel circovirus,EeCV)的SYBR GreenⅠ实时荧光定量PCR(qPCR)检测方法,根据EeCV复制相关蛋白(replication-associated protein,RAP)基因的保守序列设计特异性引物,并评价其灵敏性、特异性、重复性和应用效果。qPCR的阈值循环数(Cycle threshold value,C t值)与标准品的拷贝数线性关系良好,且线性范围广(1.0×108~102拷贝数/μL);可特异性检测EeCV,而对鳗鲡疱疹病毒(Anguillid herpesvirus)、猪圆环病毒(Porcine circovirus)、鸭圆环病毒(Duck circovirus)无扩增;重复性强,组内和组间变异系数均小于3%;灵敏性高于普通PCR法10倍。且qPCR检测后发现,在感染EeCV的鳗鲡体内重要器官均可检测到EeCV,其中鳃的病毒量显著高于其他组织;对保存的44份疑似鳗鲡病毒性感染病料进行检测,阳性检出率为98%,而普通PCR法的阳性检出率为73%。