DNA of bovine papillomavirus type 1 and 2 in equine sarcoids: PCR detection and direct sequencing

Abstract

Nucleotide sequences of bovine papillomavirus (BPV) DNA amplified by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from samples of equine sarcoid skin tumours were determined. All naturally occurring sarcoids (n = 58 tumours from 32 horses and 2 donkeys) contained BPV-DNA. All but 3 of the genome fragments belonged to the BPV type 1 strain (BPV-1); the remaining were BPV type 2. Similar results were obtained with cutaneous bovine papillomas used as controls (n = 20). One of the horses, carrying 2 sarcoids, was particularly interesting; one tumour contained BPV-1 DNA whilst the other sarcoid yielded BPV-2 DNA, suggesting that horses are not immune to super-infection. BPV-DNA was even amplified from the sarcoid samples which had yielded negative results in previous investigations when DNA isolated from the lesions was used in Southern blot hybridization with BPV probes. In addition, there was no detectable BPV-DNA in any equine or bovine tissue examined other than sarcoids or cutaneous bovine papillomas. Biopsies of normal skin surrounding lesions yielded exclusively negative results. The described nucleotide differences represent a natural genomic variation of this BPV type between geographically distant locations. The identical variations recovered from cattle and horses in Switzerland, a finding of great epidemiological interest, strongly suggest that a uniform variant of BPV-1 is one of the etiologic agents of equine sarcoid and bovine papilloma in a given region.

Papilomatosis bovina: epidemiología y diversidad de papilomavirus bovinos (BPV)

“…Son numerosas las citas bibliográficas sobre el tema, identificándose los tipos BPV-1 y BPV-2 y algunas variantes de estos tipos a lo largo de todo el mundo (Austria, Hungría, Suiza, Polonia, Reino Unido, Canadá y Sudáfrica) (Otten et al, 1993;Bogaert et al, 2008;van Dyk et al, 2009;Brandt et al, 2011;Szczerba-Turek et al, 2010), También Por tanto, los genotipos BPV-1 y BPV-2 han sido hasta ahora los únicos caracterizados en otras especies diferentes a Bos taurus y la única excepción la constituye una variante del genotipo BPV-8 aislada a partir de un papiloma en un bisonte europeo (Bison bonasus) en Eslovaquia .…”

The Same Papillomavirus is Present in Feline Sarcoids from North America and New Zealand but Not in Any Non-Sarcoid Feline Samples

“…5,16 Initially, these PVs were considered to be restricted to bovine fibropapillomas and equine sarcoids, indicating that equine sarcoids develop from cross-species infection of horses by a PV from cattle. 4,6,18 However, more sensitive methods detected BPV-1 or BPV-2 DNA in 57% of skin samples from clinically healthy horses 3 and in samples of equine dermatitis. 6,22 Furthermore, analysis of variability within BPV sequences from equine sarcoids and bovine papillomas suggests that equine-adapted BPV strains exist.…”

Localization of Bovine Papillomavirus Nucleic Acid in Equine Sarcoids

“…26,29,34 In subsequent work, Southern blots were used to identify BPV1 or BPV2 genome(s) within tumor tissue, 1,2,19,38 and polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based surveys routinely demonstrate that up to 100% of sarcoids contain BPV DNA. [12][13][14]23,24,27,38,39 A limited number of studies have been designed to investigate the role of BPV in cellular transformation in equine tissue. These studies have identified early and late gene transcripts in at least a subset of naturally occurring sarcoids indicating the initiation of viral transcription and replication.…”