The discovery of novel papillomaviruses in cats in Southwest China

Feline viral diarrhea is a significant cause of death in kittens. In this study, 12 mammalian viruses were identified by metagenomic sequencing in diarrheal feces in 2019, 2020, and 2021, respectively. Interestingly, a novel of felis catus papillomavirus (FcaPV) was identified for the first time in China. Subsequently, we investigated the prevalence of FcaPV in 252 feline samples, including 168 diarrheal feces and 84 oral swabs, with a total of 57 (22.62%, 57/252) samples detected positive. Of the 57 positive samples, FcaPV genotype 3 (FcaPV-3) was detected at high prevalence rate (68.42%, 39/57), followed by FcaPV-4 (22.8%, 13/57), FcaPV-2 (17.54%, 10/57), and FcaPV-1 (1.75%, 1/55), while no FcaPV-5 and FcaPV-6. In addition, two novel putative FcaPVs were identified, which were the highest similarity to Lambdapillomavirus from Leopardus wiedii or canis familiaris, respectively. Therefore, this study was the first characterization of the viral diversity in feline diarrheal feces and the prevalence of FcaPV in Southwest China. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11262-023-01989-x.