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

Genotypes and morphologies of bovine papillomaviruses in Costa Rica

Bovine papillomaviruses (BPVs) infect the basal layer of the epithelium of bovines, where they persist asymptomatically or produce benign fibroepithelial hyperplasia in the skin or mucosa. The aim of the present study was to describe the genotypes of bovine papillomas at the macroscopic and microscopic level. A descriptive study was carried out using non-probabilistic convenience sampling. Ninety-nine papillomas from 63 animals were collected on 32 farms, as well as information about age, gender, breed, and productive use of the bovines. The location, type, and degree of epithelial invasion of the papillomas were recorded. The samples were subjected to molecular and histopathological analysis. Papillomas were found most frequently on dairy farms (75.0%), in females (95.0%), in cattle of the Holstein breed (45.0%), and in animals over 24 months of age (50.0%). Most of the positive animals had from 1 to 15 papillomas (31.6%) and only one type of papilloma (79.4%). Cauliflower-like papillomas were found in 48.5% of the cases, while atypical papillomas were found in 11.1% of the cases. Cauliflower-like papillomas were found mainly on the udder (14.4%), head (10.0%), and neck (10.0%) and were associated with five BPV genotypes (BPV1, BPV2, BPV6, BPV7, and BPV10), while BPV2 and BPV6 were found to be associated with all types of papillomas (cauliflower, flat, pedunculated, and atypical). The presence of BPV11 in flat papillomas and BPV6 in atypical papillomas is reported here for the first time. Morphology and histopathological findings did not allow differentiation of the BPV genotypes.

Phylogenetic analysis and searching bovine papillomaviruses in teat papillomatosis cases in cattle by performing histopathology, immunohistochemistry, and transmission electron microscopy

Papillomaviruses are epitheliotropic in nature and cause proliferation in the skin, mucosa, and various internal organs of various animal species. The lesions they cause, specifically in cattle teats, lead to significant economic losses in the milk industry. In this study, we identified the bovine papillomaviruses (BPVs) responsible for teat papillomas in cattle. The tissue damage caused by the virus was examined histopathologically using immunohistochemical, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and molecular methods. Additionally, sequence analyses were performed on the isolated field strains to better understand their genetic and phylogenetic relationships with previously reported isolates. Teat papillomatosis was confirmed in the collected samples by histopathological and immunohistochemical methods, which were followed by other diagnostic methods. Intranuclear virus particles were found in the epithelial cells during a TEM examination of teat lesions. BPV was detected in seven samples by performing PCR using degenerate primers and specific primers. The positive samples were used for typing through sequence analysis/PCR with type-specific primers. Three isolates from teat tissues with BPV infection were identified as BPV-6, two as BPV-10, one as BPV-2, and one as BPV-8. The five isolates identified through sequence analysis of positive samples belonged to the Xipapillomavirus 1 genus (one), the Epsilonpapillomavirus 1 genus (one), and the Deltapapillomavirus genus (one) (three). Furthermore, type-specific primers were found to be useful for molecular diagnosis of BPV, which occurs in the etiology of teat papillomas, followed by genotyping and primer generation during characterization. The detection of BPV types and their prevalence, biosafety measures in animal breeding, and the importance of vaccine research are all important.

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.

Molecular detection and genetic diversity of bovine papillomavirus in dairy cows in Xinjiang, China

Background

Bovine papillomatosis is a type of proliferative tumor disease of skin and mucosae caused by bovine papillomavirus (BPV). As a transboundary and emerging disease in cattle, it poses a potential threat to the dairy industry.

Objectives

The aim of this study is to detect and clarify the genetic diversity of BPV circulating in dairy cows in Xinjiang, China.

Methods

122 papilloma skin lesions from 8 intensive dairy farms located in different regions of Xinjiang, China were detected by polymerase chain reaction. The genetic evolution relationships of various types of BPVs were analyzed by examining this phylogenetic tree.

Results

Ten genotypes of BPV (BPV1, BPV2, BPV3, BPV6, BPV7, BPV8, BPV10, BPV11, BPV13, and BPV14) were detected and identified in dairy cows. These were the first reported detections of BPV13 and BPV14 in Xinjiang, Mixed infections were detected, and there were geographical differences in the distribution of the BPV genotypes. Notably, the BPV infection rate among young cattle (< 1-year-old) developed from the same supply of frozen sperm was higher than that of the other young cows naturally raised under the same environmental conditions.

Conclusions

Genotyping based on the L1 gene of BPV showed that BPVs circulating in Xinjiang China displayed substantial genetic diversity. This study provided valuable data at the molecular epidemiology level, which is conducive to developing deep insights into the genetic diversity and pathogenic characteristics of BPVs in dairy cows.

Bovine Papillomatosis Hiding a Zoonotic Infection: Epitheliotropic Viruses in Bovine Skin Lesions

We describe two cases of skin co-infections with epitheliotropic viruses, detected in two cattle during lumpy skin disease (LSD) surveillance in northern Italy. A diagnostic protocol including different molecular methods as well as negative staining electron microscopy was applied to detect the most common viral agents belonging to the family Papillomaviridae, Poxviridae and Herpesviridae which cause skin diseases in cattle. Two specimens were collected from cases clinically diagnosed as papillomatosis and pseudo-LSD. Both skin lesions were shown to harbor more than one viral species. This case report shows, for the first time, co-infection of zoonotic parapoxvirus with bovine papillomavirus and herpesvirus in skin lesions of cattle. In particular, the simultaneous presence of virions morphologically referable to parapoxvirus and papillomavirus confirms that the replication of both viruses in the same lesion can happen and the so-called papillomatosis can bear zoonotic viruses.

Clinicopathological characteristics and papillomavirus types in cutaneous warts in bovine

Thirty-one bovine cutaneous warts were submitted to macroscopic and histological analyses and to molecular analyses to partial amplification and sequencing of the L1 gene of bovine papillomavirus (BPV). Viral types detected were BPV1 (52%), BPV2 (29%), BPV6 (16%) and BPV10 (3%). BPV2 had lower frequency in papilloma in comparison to that in fibropapilloma (p = 0.002).

Teat papillomatosis in dairy herds: First detection of bovine papillomavirus type 10 in China

Teat papillomatosis is one important infectious disease affecting cattle health and results in significant economic losses especially in the dairy industry. Although there is a large number of commercial cattle herds in China, limited information is available for molecular epidemiological investigation of bovine papillomaviruses (BPVs). In October 2017, an outbreak of teat papillomatosis occurred in the Shandong Province of China. Samples were collected and diagnosed with PCR, and 3 full-length viral genomes were amplified from tissue samples collected from 3 outbreak farms. Analysis results revealed that the outbreak was associated with BPV type 10. This is the first report of BPV-10 infection in China and will contribute to the molecular epidemiological study of the disease.