Characterization of a novel picornavirus prevalent in experimental rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus)

Liye Zhou; Xiang Lu; Chunyan Zhao; Yu Zhang; Songyi Ning; Wen Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e15702

Characterization of a novel picornavirus prevalent in experimental rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus)

Heliyon. 2023 Apr 23;9(5):e15702. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e15702. eCollection 2023 May.

Authors

Liye Zhou¹, Xiang Lu², Chunyan Zhao³, Yu Zhang⁴, Songyi Ning², Wen Zhang²

Affiliations

¹ School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China.
² School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China.
³ Medical School, Wuxi Taihu University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, China.
⁴ Key Laboratory of Cellular Physiology, Ministry of Education, and the Department of Physiology, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China.

Abstract

Here, using viral metagenomic method a novel picornavirus (named UJS-2019picorna, GenBank accession number OP821762) was discovered in fecal and blood samples of experimental rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). The complete genome size of UJS-2019picorna is 7832 bp excluding the poly(A)-tail, with GC content of 44.00% and a nucleotide composition of 28.0% A, 28.0% U, 21.5% G, and 22.5% C. The viral genome has a typical picornavirus organization pattern from the 5'-3' direction: VPg-5' UTR-(L)-P1, (VP4-VP2-VP3-VP1)-P2, (2 A-2B-2C)-P3, (3 A-3B-3C-3D)-3' UTR-poly(A). The P1 region of UJS-2019picorna is related to Erbovirus with amino acid identity of 37.31%, while the P2 and P3 regions are the closest to Bopivirus with amino acid identity of 35.66%-39.53%. According to the Picornaviridae Study Group guidelines, UJS-2019picorna should be presumed to be a new genus belonging to the Picornaviridae family. Epidemiologic study revealed that this novel picornavirus was prevalent in a cohort of experimental rabbits, with prevalence rate of 23.68% (9/38) in feces and 18.4% (7/38) in blood samples. Further work is required to elucidate whether this virus is pathogenic to rabbits and whether it has influence on studies using rabbits as experimental animal.

Keywords: Blood; Feces; Metagenomics; Picornavirus; Rabbit; Virome.