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ABStRACt. Papillomavirus infection in bovines is associated with cutaneous papillomatosis on the hide, udders and other epithelial tissues, as well as in oral respiratory, alimentary and urinary tract mucosa. Bovine papillomavirus (BPV) is also considered the etiological agent of esophageal tumors and the malignant bladder tumors that characterize the clinical condition associated with chronic enzootic hematuria. After infective viral DNA was found in cattle blood and BPV1, 2 and 4 DNA in cattle reproductive and embryonic tissues, we looked for and found BPV DNA in blood, milk, urine, seminal fluid, and spermatozoa of BPV-infected animals. Peripheral blood lymphocyte cultures from BPV-infected animals had high rates of chromosome aberrations, including radial rearrangements that signal oncogenic potential and viral interaction with telomeric regions. The finding of BPV DNA in body fluids and tissues other than the epithelium demonstrates co-infection of other tissues or cell types by papillomavirus and shows the potential role of lymphocytes, seminal fluid and spermatozoa in BPV transmission. Our findings reinforce a peremptory need for prophylactic and therapeutic instruments to curtail this disease in bovine livestock.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of different types of Bovine papillomavirus (BPV) in cattle skin lesions and to identify new viral types in Brazil. A total of 72 skin lesions were analysed from 66 different bovines by PCR using degenerate and specific primers, and subsequent sequencing. Sequencing quality was determined using Staden package with Phred 30. Similarity analysis was performed with BioEdit and BLAST programs to verify the identity with known BPV types. Phylogenetic analysis was carried out using Maximum Likelihood method with TIM3 + G as nucleotide substitution model in PAUP*, and 1000 non-parametric bootstrap replicates. Analyses revealed the presence of ten different types of BPV in the samples, with the exception of BPV7. The presence of co-infections was very high as almost all samples (89%) were co-infected. A putative new BPV11 subtype was also found in lesions from different animals. These results add significant knowledge about the prevalence and diversity of BPV infection in Brazilian cattle, which could be used in future studies aiming at the development of more specific treatment and diagnostic methods.

Papillomaviruses are described selectively infecting epithelial tissues and are associated with many forms of cancer in different species. Considering the widespread dissemination of papillomatosis in livestock, interest is being centred on possible forms of viral transmission and respective mechanisms. In the present study, we report the detection of bovine papillomavirus (BPV) DNA sequences in female reproductive tract tissues, fluids and oocytes from slaughtered bovines not afflicted by cutaneous papillomatosis. BPV-2 DNA sequences were found in ovarian and uterine tissues as well as in oocytes, cumulus cells and uterine flushings. The presence of papillomavirus sequences in reproductive organ tissues and fluids shows that viral infection in organisms can be verified in others tissues, not only in epithelial ones. The present findings alert to the possibility of BPV transmission in embryo transfer programs and assisted fertilization procedures.

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Despite the increasing evidence of human papillomavirus (HPV) vertical transmission, this route is regarded as less clinically important because of the detections of transient HPV DNA. However, recent studies have provided clear evidence of papillomavirus productive infection in lymphocytes, placenta, and bovine fetal tissue. Furthermore, a model of papillomavirus latency has been recently proposed that could explain the failure or transience in HPV detection observed in some infected infants. This new evidence of hematogeneous and vertical spread of HPV suggests that these modes of transmission should be investigated in greater detail to obtain a better understanding of the infection and a fuller awareness of the preventive measures that can be taken against HPV-related diseases.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) has been extensively studied concerning genomic structure, infection mechanisms, and diversity of types, as well as disease progression stages and development of vaccines. HPV type prevalence can differ in specific populations in different countries, according to ethnicity. This is the first report of an integrated project to evaluate the incidence of HPV types in different regions in Brazil in order to obtain data for vaccine development. Cervical samples were collected from women seen at a public hospital in Pernambuco, Northeast Brazil, for routine evaluation of genital alterations. Selection of the patients was random. There was a strong prevalence of HPV16 and a high incidence of HPV types 31 and 33. These data foster the discussion about the need to evaluate viral prevalence in each geographic region in order to develop targeted vaccine programs.

ABSTRACT. Bovine papillomaviruses (BPV) are the causal agents of benign and malignant lesions; they can cause dramatic economic losses in cattle. Although 10 virus types have been described, three types are most common in tumors, namely BPV-1, -2 and -4. Previous studies have reported BPV in blood cells and the possibility of blood acting as a latent virus site and/or transmission agent of virus dissemination. We studied a Holstein dairy herd in Pernambuco, Brazil, in which several animals showed severe cutaneous papillomatosis, without previous determination of BPV types. Blood samples and short-term lymphocyte cultures were collected from 54 cows. We compared the BPV types detected in peripheral blood to those identified in the respective lymphocyte cultures: BPV-1 was detected in 74% and BPV-2 in 87% of the whole blood samples. Simultaneous virus presence (BPV-1 and BPV-2) was found in 65% of the blood samples. BPV-1 or BPV-2 were detected in the lymphocyte cultures in 93% of the samples, and both in 89%. The detection of viral DNA in whole blood and in lymphocyte cultures is evidence that this virus is carried by lymphocytes.