Identification of a Novel Parvovirus in the Arctic Wolf (Canis lupus arctos)

• Published in: Polish Journal of Microbiology
• Main Authors: Dai Ziyuan, Lu Qiang, Sun Mingzhong, Chen Hongmei, Zhu Rong, Wang Huiqing
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Sciendo 2024
• Subjects: parvovirus; virome; metagenomics; arctic wolf; novel virus; Genetics; QH426-470; Microbiology; QR1-502; Arctic; Canis lupus
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.33073/pjm-2024-035; https://doaj.org/article/99afb6aca53047eb88996cac43eaf988

A novel virus, temporarily named “Arctic wolf parvovirus” (AWPV), was discovered in a pharyngeal metagenomic library derived from an Arctic wolf (Canis lupus arctos) in China. The genome sequence was assigned GenBase accession number C_AA071902.1. AWPV has a genome comprised of 4,920 base pairs with a nucleotide composition of 36.4% A, 23.4% T, 18.2% G, and 22.0% C, with a GC content of 40.2%. Its structure resembles parvoviruses, containing two open reading frames: the nonstructural (NS) region encoding replication enzymes and the structural (VP) region encoding capsid protein. Pairwise sequence comparison and phylogenetic analysis suggest AWPV may represent a novel species within the genus Protoparvovirus. This discovery enhances our understanding of mammalian virus ecology and potential future infectious diseases.