Prevalence of BPV genotypes in a German cowshed determined by a novel multiplex BPV genotyping assay

Amplification of Ovis aries papillomavirus type 2 DNA from an ovine cutaneous fibropapilloma

Seven of 60 Perendale sheep within a flock developed single or multiple exophytic masses on their distal hind limbs. A mass was excised from one sheep and histological evaluation revealed epidermal and mesenchymal proliferation, papillomavirus-induced keratinocyte changes and marked keratohyalin clumping. Ovis aries papillomavirus type 2 DNA sequences were amplified using PCR.

Genetic Evaluation of Bovine Papillomavirus Types Associated with Teat Papillomatosis in Polish Dairy Cattle with the Report of a New Putative Type

Teat papillomatosis is reported to be one of the factors causing mastitis and milk losses in dairy cattle. Little is known about bovine papillomavirus (BPV) circulation in the European cattle population, and no reports can yet be found about its prevalence in Polish herds. In this study, 177 BPV-like lesions were collected from teats of 109 slaughtered cows. BPV was identified in 39 of the examined animals, using PCR amplification and Sanger dideoxy sequencing. In total, 10 BPV types were isolated, among which the most common were infections caused by types 8 and 7. Macroscopically, "rice-grain" type lesions dominated (76%) and were mainly found on one teat (57.4%). The diversity of BPV types causing teat papillomatosis in Polish cows seems to be large, with nine already known types isolated and a new putative type found. The spread of new types among the worldwide cattle population can be seen for the first time, as type 25 and so called isolates BPV42 and BPV43 were found in the European cattle population.

Metatranscriptomics Analysis Reveals Diverse Viral RNA in Cutaneous Papillomatous Lesions of Cattle

Bovine papillomavirus (BPV) is associated with bovine papillomatosis, a disease that forms benign warts in epithelial tissues, as well as malignant lesions. Previous studies have detected a co-infection between BPV and other viruses, making it likely that these co-infections could influence disease progression. Therefore, this study aimed to identify and annotate viral genes in cutaneous papillomatous lesions of cattle. Sequences were obtained from the GEO database, and an RNA-seq computational pipeline was used to analyze 3 libraries from bovine papillomatous lesions. In total, 25 viral families were identified, including Poxviridae, Retroviridae, and Herpesviridae. All libraries shared similarities in the viruses and genes found. The viral genes shared similarities with BPV genes, especially for functions as virion entry pathway, malignant progression by apoptosis suppression and immune system control. Therefore, this study presents relevant data extending the current knowledge regarding the viral microbiome in BPV lesions and how other viruses could affect this disease.

Evidence from a Series of 104 Equine Sarcoids Suggests That Most Sarcoids in New Zealand Are Caused by Bovine Papillomavirus Type 2, although Both BPV1 and BPV2 DNA Are Detectable in around 10% of Sarcoids

Simple Summary

Equine sarcoids are common cancers of horses that are caused by bovine papillomaviruses (BPVs). Previous studies have suggested that most sarcoids are caused by either BPV1 or BPV2, with the proportion caused by each BPV type dependent on the country in which the horse lived. Additionally, some studies also suggest that other papillomavirus (PV) types could cause equine sarcoids. The study was comprised of 104 sarcoids from New Zealand horses and used both specific and consensus PCR primer sets. Overall, PV DNA was amplified from 90% of the sarcoids. Of the ones that contained BPV DNA, 88% contained only BPV2 DNA, 10% BPV1 and BPV2 DNA, and 2% only BPV1 DNA. Only the primers specific for BPV1 or specific for BPV2 amplified DNA and no other PV types were detected. There was little variability in the rates of detection between different regions of New Zealand and rates were consistent when two distinct time periods were compared. These results suggest that sarcoids from New Zealand horses are consistently most often caused by BPV2 and thus if vaccination is used to prevent these cancers, it will be important to use a vaccine that provides good protection against this BPV type.

Abstract

Equine sarcoids are common mesenchymal neoplasms of horses that are caused by cross-species infection by deltapapillomaviruses. While bovine papillomavirus (BPV) 1 and 2 are the most common causes, there are differences between countries regarding which of these BPV types cause the majority of sarcoids. Additionally, no causative PV can be detected in a subset of sarcoids, suggesting that other PV types could be rarer causes of these neoplasms. In the present study, consensus PCR primers and PCR primers specific for the five deltapapillomavirus types currently known to cause mesenchymal neoplasia (BPV1, BPV2, BPV13, BPV14, and Ovis aries PV2 DNA) were used to investigate the presence of PV DNA in 104 sarcoids from three defined regions in New Zealand and from two distinct time periods separated by 15 years. PV DNA was detected in 94 (90.4%) sarcoids. Of the sarcoids containing PV DNA, 83 (88.3%) contained only BPV2 DNA, 9 (9.6%) BPV1 and BPV2 DNA, and 2 (2.1%) only BPV1 DNA. No other PV types were detected. The predominance of BPV2 is consistent with studies of sarcoids from North America but dissimilar to studies of sarcoids from Europe and Australia. Detection rates of BPV1 and BPV2 were similar in sarcoids from different regions of New Zealand and in sarcoids from different time periods. These results suggest that most equine sarcoids in New Zealand are caused by BPV2 and thus if vaccines are developed to prevent sarcoids, vaccines that provide good protection against BPV2 will be required in this country.

The genetic diversity of "papillomavirome" in bovine teat papilloma lesions

Background

Papillomaviruses are small nonenveloped, circular double-stranded DNA viruses that belong to the Papillomaviridae family. To date, 29 Bos taurus papillomavirus (BPV) types have been described. Studies involving mixed BPV infections have rarely been reported in contrast to human papillomavirus (HPV), which is commonly described in numerous studies showing coinfections. Moreover, previous studies had shown that HPV coinfections increase the risk of carcinogenesis. In the present study, we used rolling-circle amplification followed by a high-throughput sequencing (RCA-HTS) approach in 23 teat papillomas from southern Brazil.

Results

Eleven well-characterized BPV types and 14 putative new BPV types were genetically characterized into the Xi, Epsilon and Dyoxipapillomavirus genera according to phylogenetic analysis of the L1 gene, which expands the previous 29 BPV types to 43. Moreover, BPV coinfections were detected in the majority (56.3%) of the papilloma lesions analyzed, suggesting a genetic diverse “papillomavirome” in bovine teat warts.

Conclusions

The data generated in this study support the possibility that a wide range of BPV is probably underdetected by conventional molecular detection tools, and that BPV coinfections are underestimated and probably genetic diverse. Additionally, 14 new BPV types were characterized, increasing the knowledge regarding BPV genetic diversity.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s42523-021-00114-3.

Detection and genomic characterization of Bovine papillomavirus isolated from Chinese native cattle

Bovine papillomaviruses (BPV) are small circular DNA viruses which can be widely spread in herd, inducing cattle tumours, therefore, leading economic losses in dairy and beef production industries. BPV-leads symptoms include cutaneous papillomas, fibropapillomas, urinary bladder and oesophageal carcinoma. As one of the most important producers of beef in the world, China has not provided systematic research to prevent the harm of BPV, particularly in papillomavirus molecular characterization which presents among Chinese native cattle which was known to have higher disease resistance. In this study, skin papilloma was observed and samples were collected following by histopathological analysis. We analysed all neoplasms samples and reviewed their degrees in acanthosis and/or hyperkeratosis. Full-length genomic sequencing was applied for all four isolated strains (JX180408, LA150909, HX160815, and BS160810) to exploring the molecular reason why BPV currently prevalent in Chinese native cattle. As a result, we identified that these four isolates were classified as BPV-1 and clustered into the Deltapapillomavirus genera. Our study also identified that BPV 1 isolates from Chinese indigenous cattle breeds belong to subtypes A which has a closer genetic background compare with their common ancestor and suggest it can be a more ancestral species. European isolates more recently diverged group (group B) contained almost exclusively European samples. In this study, we analysed the similarity of ORF between Chinese isolated BPV 1 and BPV 1 reference strains and listed results. This study provides the complete genomic characterization of BPVs circulating in Chinese native cattle breeds for the first time, which provide a detailed description of how diverse strains may cause skin tumour among Chinese local breed cattle therefore critical for further epidemiological study of relevant diseases.

The genetic diversity of bovine papillomaviruses (BPV) from different papillomatosis cases in dairy cows in Turkey

Papillomaviruses (PVs) are epitheliotropic viruses that cause benign proliferative lesions in the skin (warts or papillomas) and mucous membranes of their natural hosts. In bovines specifically, 13 types of Bovine papillomaviruses (BPVs) are currently described in the literature, although the actual number may be greater than 20. BPV types are classified into four genera based on homology within the genomic regions of the L1 ORF, the most conserved sequence. This study conducted molecular typing of BPV in dairy cows with different papillomatosis cases and investigated the presence of co-infections across distinct BPV types in the same sample. After carrying out PCR using degenerate primers and type specific primers, 35 BPV suspected samples were detected as positive for BPV and these samples were used for typing using sequence analysis/PCR with type-specific primers. This analysis identified BPV-1, -2, -3, -4, -6, -7, -9 and -10, new putative types (BPV/BR/UEL6-like viruses) and the previously described putative type viruses (BAPV-6) in the 35 BPV-positive samples. In addition, co-infections across different BPV types were widely detected in the BPV-positive samples.  This study shows that PCR assays using degenerate primers to amplify partial fragments of the L1 gene followed by sequencing is useful for genotyping BPV. However, results need confirmation using type-specific primers in order to consider co-infections. In addition, this study identified a new putative type (in the same cluster as BPV/BR/UEL6-like viruses) and the previously described putative type viruses (BAPV-6) in teat papillomatosis of Turkish dairy cows. The study shows that it is essential to identify BPV types and their prevalence/distribution, and also to determine the clinical consequences of infection for the development of prophylactic and/or therapeutic procedures.

How many papillomavirus species can go undetected in papilloma lesions?

A co-infection comprising to at least seven papillomavirus (PV) types was detected by next generation sequencing (NGS) of randomly primed rolling circle amplification (RCA) products of a bovine (Bos taurus) papilloma lesion from the Brazilian Amazon region. Six putative new PV types that could not be detected by commonly used PCR protocols were identified. Their overall L1 nucleotide identities were less than 90% compared to described PV species and types. L1 nucleotide BLAST sequence hits showed that each new type was related to Beta, Gamma, Dyokappa, Dyoeta, and Xipapillomavirus, as well as two likely new unclassified genera. Our results show that the employment of NGS is relevant to the detection and characterization of distantly related PV and is of major importance in co-infection studies. This knowledge will help us understand the biology and pathogenesis of PV, as well as contribute to disease control. Moreover, we can also conclude that there are many unknown circulating PVs.

Bovine papillomatosis: First detection of bovine papillomavirus types 6, 7, 8, 10 and 12 in Italian cattle herds

Limited information about the distribution of different bovine papillomavirus (BPV) types in Italy is available; therefore, this study aimed to investigate the presence of BPVs in bovine lesions in the Emilia Romagna region. Sixty-four proliferative lesions were collected between december 2011 and december 2014, and subsequently analysed by qualitative PCR with genus- and type-specific primer pairs, as well as rolling circle amplification (RCA). The results demonstrated, for the first time in Italy, the presence of BPV 6, 7, 8, 10 and 12 and also types previously described elsewhere. In addition, the high prevalence of viral co-infections in this sample set provides new information about viral tropism.

Bovine papillomavirus type 7 in Italy: complete genomes and sequence variants

Two novel bovine papillomavirus type 7 (BPV-7) variants have been identified in teat cutaneous papillomas affecting dairy cows in northern Italy. The entire genome sequences of two BPV-7 Italian variants showed major sequence differences in the long control region (LCR) and in the L2 gene compared to the Japanese reference strain. In order to define the stability of these genetic variants, the L2 and LCR sequences of seven further BPV-7 positive isolates were characterized. An insertion of six amino acids in the L2 structural protein has been detected in all samples while different genetic variants have been identified for the LCR. These findings provide new insights on intra-type variability of BPVs and represent a starting point for future studies aimed at establishing the biological role of the different BPV genomic regions and investigating the pathogenic potential of papillomavirus variants.

Molecular and histological characterization of bovine papillomavirus in North West Italy

Bovine papillomaviruses (BPVs) are group of worldwide-spread DNA virus that infect primarily cattle determining diseases of considerable economic relevance. Recently, research on BPVs, received a great impulse owing to the development of specific biomolecular analysis, mostly based on L1 gene sequencing, that resulted in the identification of new viral types. This work is aimed at the identification and molecular and histopathological characterization of BPVs circulating in North West Italy, one of the main national cattle breeding areas. In this study, 71 bioptic specimens were submitted both to histological examination and to PCR and sequencing analysis. Histopathology revealed various lesion types; however, no connections were demonstrated between involved viral types and histopathological findings. BPV DNA was demonstrated in all the analyzed samples and several viral types were detected. Particularly, molecular investigations revealed a broad diffusion of highly pathogenic BPV1 and 2 Deltapapillomavirus and presence of BPV3 and 9 Xipapillomavirus. Two cases of co-infection were also demonstrated. Phylogenetic analysis revealed presence of different clusters and therefore a noteworthy genetic variety among the analyzed viral types. This study provides information on the main BPVs types in North West Italy and our results demonstrate the complexity of viral epidemiology which is characterized by circulation of multiple viral types even inside single herds. Knowledge of the prevalence and of the variety of BPVs is a milestone for the development of appropriate prophylactic and therapeutic measures.

Bovine and Human Papillomaviruses

Fifty years ago, inoculation with bovine papillomavirus (BPV) was found to cause mesenchymal tumors of the skin in cattle and horses, as well as tumors of the bladder in cattle. Subsequent to these studies of BPVs, human papillomaviruses (HPVs) were found to cause cervical cancer resulting in intense research into papillomaviruses. During the past 50 years, the ways that HPVs and BPVs cause disease have been investigated, and both HPVs and BPVs have been associated with an increasingly diverse range of diseases. Herein, the biology, oncogenic mechanisms, and diseases associated with BPVs are compared with those of HPVs. As reviewed, there are currently significant differences between BPVs and HPVs. However, research 50 years ago into BPVs formed a prologue for the recognition that papillomaviruses have a significant role in human disease, and it is possible that future research may similarly reveal that BPVs are less different from HPVs than is currently recognized.

Detection of Different Bovine Papillomavirus Types and Co-infection in Bloodstream of Cattle

Bovine papillomavirus (BPV) is a diverse group of double-stranded DNA oncogenic viruses. BPVs are classically described as epitheliotropic, however, they have been detected in body fluids, such as blood and semen. The presence of BPV in these sites can have implications for the dissemination of BPV. The aim of this study was to verify the prevalence of BPV types in cattle blood. A total of 57 blood samples were analyzed by PCR using BPV type-specific primers to BPVs 1-6 and 8-10, and subsequent sequencing. Sequencing quality was determined using Staden package with Phred 20. Similarity analysis was performed with BioEdit and BLAST programs to assess the identity with known BPV types. Statistical analysis was performed by Fisher's exact test. The results showed seven different types of BPVs in the blood, with the exception of BPV 5 and 9. This is the first study that demonstrates BPVs 3, 6, 8 and 10 DNA in cattle blood. BPVs 1 and 2 were the viral types most frequent in blood, while BPVs 4 and 10 were the least frequent types. All the samples showed co-infection by at least two BPV types. These data suggest that several BPV types may infect blood cells at the same time and demonstrate the possibility that the BPV infection in non-epithelial tissue can occur without restriction to one or two viral types. These results can contribute to future studies aimed at the control and prevention of papillomaviruses.

A bead-based multiplex assay for the detection of DNA viruses infecting laboratory rodents

The Federation of European Laboratory Animal Science Association (FELASA) recommends screening of laboratory rodents and biological materials for a broad variety of bacterial agents, viruses, and parasites. Methods commonly used to date for pathogen detection are neither cost-effective nor time- and animal-efficient or uniform. However, an infection even if silent alters experimental results through changing the animals’ physiology and increases inter-individual variability. As a consequence higher numbers of animals and experiments are needed for valid and significant results. We developed a novel high-throughput multiplex assay, called rodent DNA virus finder (rDVF) for the simultaneous identification of 24 DNA viruses infecting mice and rats. We detected all 24 DNA viruses with high specificity and reproducibility. Detection limits for the different DNA viruses varied between 10 and 1000 copies per PCR. The validation of rDVF was done with DNA isolated from homogenised organs amplified by pathogen specific primers in one multiplex PCR. The biotinylated amplicons were detected via hybridisation to specific oligonucleotide probes coupled to spectrally distinct sets of fluorescent Luminex beads. In conclusion, rDVF may have the potential to replace conventional testing and may simplify and improve routine detection of DNA viruses infecting rodents.

Bovine Papillomavirus: New Insights into an Old Disease

Bovine papillomaviruses (BPVs) are small DNA tumoral viruses able to induce benign cutaneous and/or mucosal epithelial lesions. Generally, the benign tumours affecting the skin or mucosa spontaneously regress, but under special circumstances, the defence system may be overwhelmed, thus leading to cancer, especially in the presence of immunosuppressant and mutagen agents from bracken fern. To date, thirteen different BPV genotypes have been associated with skin and mucosal tumours in cattle, and out of these, only four types (BPV-1, -2, -5 and -13) cross-infect other species. Recent investigations in vivo have revealed new insights into the epidemiology and pathogenesis of this viral infection. This review briefly discusses viral epidemiology, will give data on BPV genome structure and viral genes and will describe the cellular events and new aspects of both cutaneous and mucosal tumours in large ruminants. Finally, some aspects of active immunization will be described.

Bovine papillomavirus E2 and E5 gene expression in sperm cells of healthy bulls

Papillomaviruses are found in epithelial lesions and are linked to different carcinogenic processes in humans and other animals. Although BPV has been characterized as epitheliotropic, the presence of viral DNA has been detected in other tissues and fluids, such as fresh semen. The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence and expression of BPV in sperm cells of bulls (Bos taurus) asymptomatic for papillomatosis. A PCR assay was carried out with specific primers to test BPV2 in 26 semen samples. The presence of BPV transcripts was assessed by RT-PCR to E2 and E5 genes. BPV2 DNA was detected in nine out of 26 samples and the expression of E2 and E5 were detected in five out of nine BPV positive samples. This is the first record of BPV2 expression in bull sperm cells.

Teat papillomatosis associated with bovine papillomavirus types 6, 7, 9, and 10 in dairy cattle from Brazil

This study describes the clinical, histopathological, and virological characterization of teat papillomatosis from Brazilian dairy cattle herds. Four types of bovine papillomavirus were identified (BPV6, 7, 9, and 10); one of these (BPV7) is being detected for the first time in Brazilian cattle.