Genetic Analysis of Avian Gyrovirus 2 Variant-Related Gyrovirus Detected in Farmed King Ratsnake (Elaphe carinata): The First Report from China

Abstract

Avian gyrovirus 2 (AGV2), which is similar to chicken infectious anemia virus, is a new member of the genus Gyrovirus. AGV2 has been detected not only in chicken but also in human tissues and feces. This study analyzed 91 samples (8 from liver tissue and 83 from fecal samples) collected from king ratsnakes (Elaphe carinata) from 7 separate farms in Hubei and Henan, China, for AGV2 DNA using PCR. The results demonstrated a low positive rate of AGV2 (6.59%, 6/91) in the snakes, and all the positive samples were collected from the same farm. The AGV2 strain HB2018S1 was sequenced, and its 2376 nt genome comprised three partially overlapping open reading frames: VP1, VP2, and VP3. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the HB2018S1 and NX1506-1 strains from chickens in China belong to the same clade and that they have a nucleotide identity as high as 99.5%. Additionally, recombination analysis showed that HB2018S1 might originate from the recombination of viruses similar to those detected in chickens and a ferret. A total of 10 amino acid mutation sites (44(R/K), 74(T/A), 256 (C/R), 279(L/Q), and 373(V/A) in AGV2 VP1; 60(I/T), 125(T/I), 213(D/N), and 215(L/S) in AGV2 VP2; and 83(H/Y) in AGV2 VP3) different from those observed in most reference strains were found in the genome of HB2018S1, indicating that the differences may be related to a transboundary movement among hosts, which needs further elucidation. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first report on an AGV2-infected poikilotherm, suggesting that cross-host transmission of viruses with circular single-stranded DNA genomes would be a public health concern.

Detection of Gyrovirus galga 1 in Cryopreserved Organs from Two Commercial Broiler Flocks in Japan

“…Most GyVg1 strains are detected mainly in chickens, but they have been also detected in various hosts such as ferrets, snakes, and dogs, suggesting possible cross-species transmission [ 7 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 16 ]. Additionally, GyVg1 has been detected in the blood of healthy humans, transplant recipients and HIV-positive patients [ 9 , 10 ].…”

“…In addition, Sauvage et al [ 8 ] identified human gyrovirus, which shares 96% nucleotide identity with GyVg1, from the skin swab of a healthy individual, indicating that GyVg1 might also infect humans. Subsequently, GyVg1 was detected in human blood samples [ 9 , 10 ], human feces [ 11 , 12 ], ferret feces [ 13 ], snakes [ 14 ], ticks [ 15 ], and dogs [ 16 ], suggesting that the virus can infect a broad range of animals.…”

Genome assembly and annotation of the king ratsnake, Elaphe carinata

“…As a snake with a long history of captive breeding, the reproduction and the viruses carried by the king ratsnake have been well studied [ 10 , 11 ] . However, there is insufficient research on its immune resistance and a general lack of genomic resources.…”

Prevalence and phylogenetic analysis of Gyrovirus galga 1 in southern China from 2020 to 2022

“…Since 2011, a series of circovirus sequences similar to CAV (HGyV/AGV2, GyV3 through GyV13) have been reported ( Sauvage et al, 2011 ; Chu et al, 2012 ; Niu et al, 2019 ; Feher et al, 2022 ; Ji et al, 2022 ). These viruses have been identified in birds (chicken, northern fulmar, crested screamer, ashy storm petrel, ferruginous-backed antbird, white-plumed antbird, grey teal, pigeon, Pekin duck), mammals (human, cat, dog, ferret, mice) and reptiles (king rat snake) ( Feher et al, 2014 ; Truchado et al, 2019 ; Wu et al, 2019 ; Ji et al, 2022 ).…”