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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1457471

Identification of a novel papillomavirus in oral swabs from giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)

Provisionally accepted
Yi Zhao Yi Zhao *Min Zhao Min Zhao Wen Zhang Wen Zhang
  • School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    To fully characterize papillomavirus diversity in giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), we identified a novel papillomavirus (named AmPV5, GenBank accession number MZ357114) in oral swabs from giant pandas with the help of viral metagenomics technology in this study. The complete circular genome of AmPV5 is 7935 bp in length, with a GC content of 39.1%. It encodes five early genes (E1, E2, E4, E6, and E7), two late genes (L1 and L2), and features conserved zinc-binding domains (CXXC-(X)28/29-CXXC) in E6 and E7 genes. E7 protein has an LxCxE domain (pRB binding) in its N-terminal region. The nucleotide sequence of AmPV5 L1 gene shares less than 70% identity with other related sequences available in the GenBank database.AmPV5 fell within the Lambdapapillomavirus genus but formed a monophyletic branch away from other papillomaviruses found in Ailuropoda melanoleuca, Canis, Felis catus, Panthera uncia, Enhydra lutris, and Procyon lotor. According to the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) classification guidelines, AmPV5 is classified as a new species within the Lambdapapillomavirus genus. The discovery provides valuable insights into the viral diversity in giant pandas and highlights the need for continued surveillance of wildlife pathogens. Future studies should explore the potential role of AmPV5 in the health and disease ecology of this endangered species.

    Keywords: papillomavirus, giant panda, phylogenetic analysis, Virus genome, viral metagenomics

    Received: 01 Jul 2024; Accepted: 10 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Zhao, Zhao and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Yi Zhao, School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China

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