Presence of a Novel Subtype of Bovine Hepacivirus in China and Expanded Classification of Bovine Hepacivirus Strains Worldwide into 7 Subtypes

Abstract

The newest member of the Hepacivirus genus, bovine hepacivirus (BovHepV), was first identified in cattle in 2015 and is a novel hepacivirus C virus (HCV)-like virus. This virus has been detected in five countries so far and is classified into four subtypes. Bovine serum is commonly used for cell cultures and is considered the major source of viral contamination of pharmaceutical products. In this study, bovine serum samples were collected from seven countries located in Asia, America, Oceania, and Europe and were tested for BovHepV RNA using nested PCR, in order to: (i) obtain more knowledge on the geographical distribution and subtypes of BovHepV; and (ii) detect the potential contamination of BovHepV in commercial bovine serum samples used for cell culture propagation. The results demonstrated that bovine serum samples from individual donor cattle in China contained BovHepV RNA. After PCR, sequencing, and assembly, the genomes of the Chinese BovHepV strains were obtained. Genetic analysis of the polyprotein gene revealed a protein identity of <77% and a nucleotide identity of <85% between the Chinese BovHepV strains and all other previously reported BovHepV strains. Using cut-off values for determination of HCV genotypes and subtypes, BovHepV strains worldwide were classified into one unique genotype and seven subtypes. The BovHepV strains identified in the present study were classified into a novel subtype, which was provisionally designated subtype G. The genetic relationships among the different BovHepV subtypes were further confirmed through phylogenetic analysis. The present study provides critical insights into BovHepV’s geographical distribution and genetic variability.

Special Issue “Emerging Viruses: Surveillance, Prevention, Evolution, and Control”

“…The emergence of avian orthoavulavirus 13 in wild migratory waterfowl in China and related genetic features are presented by Fei et al [21]. Lu et al [22] report a novel subtype of bovine hepacivirus in China. Águeda-Pinto et al [23] present a genetic characterization of a recombinant myxoma virus in the Lepus granatensis.…”

Genetic heterogeneity of bovine hepacivirus in Italy

“…Previous studies failed to show viral shedding in biological samples (Baechlein et al, 2015). Similarly to HCV, animals could be infected By applying the cut-off values used for HCV for genotyping and subtyping, BovHepV has been classified into one genotype and seven subtypes (Lu, Ou, Zhao, et al, 2019). In our study, phylogenetic analysis was performed on the 5′UTR and NS3 genomic portions obtained from 18 identified BovHepV strains, confirming the circulation of at least four different subtypes, A to F, in Italy (Figure 3).…”

“…BovHepV was first detected in serum samples from domestic cattle in Germany and Ghana (Baechlein et al., 2015; Corman et al., 2015), in two independent studies. Since then, BovHepV has been described in archived serum samples from Brazil (Canal et al., 2017), in calf serum from the United States and China (Lu, Ou, Zhao, & Li, 2019; Sadeghi et al., 2017), and in cattle from China (Deng, Guan, Wang, Hao, & Rasmussen, 2018; Lu et al., 2018) and Turkey (Yesilbag et al., 2018), thus suggesting a worldwide distribution.…”

“…Subtype A includes the German sequences; subtypes B and C include two clades of Ghanaian sequences; and subtype D includes Brazilian sequences (da Silva et al., 2018). Analysis of BovHepV strains circulating in China, Turkey and Germany has expanded the number of possible viral subtypes (Lu, Ou, Zhao, et al, 2019), with subtypes E and G including Chinese strains and subtype F including a German BovHepV strain.…”

A Novel Subtype of Bovine Hepacivirus Identified in Ticks Reveals the Genetic Diversity and Evolution of Bovine Hepacivirus

“…BovHepV is hepatotropic, and causes acute or persistent infections in cattle [10,23]. Since its first discovery in cattle from Germany [10] and Ghana [11] in 2015, it has been detected in Brazil [24,25], Turkey [26], USA [27], China [28][29][30][31], and Italy [32], suggesting a worldwide distribution of BovHepV. As per the demarcation criteria for HCV genotyping and subtyping, BovHepV strains have been classified into two genotypes, and genotype 1 could be further divided into seven subtypes (A to G) [28,31].…”