Genomic Analysis of Novel Poxvirus Brazilian Porcupinepox Virus, Brazil, 2019

Abstract

We obtained the complete sequence of a novel poxvirus, tentatively named Brazilian porcupinepox virus, from a wild porcupine (Coendou prehensilis) in Brazil that had skin and internal lesions characteristic of poxvirus infection. The impact of this lethal poxvirus on the survival of this species and its potential zoonotic importance remain to be investigated.

Keywords: Brazil; Brazilian porcupinepox virus; Chordopoxvirinae; Poxviridae; emerging infectious; novel poxvirus; viral disease; viruses; zoonoses.

Figure 1

Photographs and histopathology of Brazilian porcupine (Coendou prehensilis) with novel poxvirus tentatively named Brazilian porcupinepox virus, Brazil, 2019. A) Severely swollen and erythematous skin of the eyelids, nasal region, and around oral cavity. B) Severely swollen skin of the forelimbs. C) Histopathologic examination of skin. Marked epidermal hyperplasia and swollen epithelial cells with foci of ballooning degeneration are marked with the square, and parakeratotic hyperkeratosis is indicated by the line. Dermal hemorrhage at the dermal–epidermal junction is indicated with the oval. Hematoxylin and eosin stain. Scale bar indicates 200 μm. D) Histopathologic examination of skin. Cytoplasm of several epithelial cells of epidermis with round eosinophilic inclusions is indicated by arrows. Hematoxylin and eosin stain. Scale bar indicates 200 μm.

Figure 2

Phylogenetic tree constructed in genomic analysis of novel poxvirus Brazilian porcupinepox virus, Brazil, 2019 (boldface). Tree constructed by using the maximum-likelihood method and Jones–Taylor–Thornton model (7) with frequency model for amino acid sequence alignments of the RNA polymerase subunit RPO147, RNA polymerase subunit RPO132, RNA polymerase–associated RAP94, mRNA capping enzyme large subunit, virion major core protein P4a, early transcription factor VETFL, nucleoside-triphosphatase, DNA polymerase, and DNA topoisomerase I genes of selected strains representing different genera of chordopoxvirus with low GC contents and their respective genera. The numbers next to each node represent the values of 1,000 bootstrap repetitions, and only those >50% are shown. Evolutionary analyses were conducted in MEGA X (8). GenBank accession numbers are as follows: Brazilian porcupinepox virus, MK944278.1; camelpox virus, AY009089.1; canarypox virus, NC005309.1; Cotia virus, KM595078.1; cowpox virus, DQ437593.1; deerpox virus, AY689437.1; ectromelia virus, NC004105.1; fowlpox virus, NC002188.1; goatpox virus, MH381810.1; lumpy skin disease virus, NC003027.1; monkeypox virus, DQ011157.1; myxoma virus, NC001132.2; rabbit fibroma virus, NC001266.1; sheeppox virus, NC004002.1; swinepox virus, NC003389.1; taterapox virus, NC008291.1; vaccinia virus, M35027.1; variola major virus, L22579.1; Yaba monkey tumor virus, NC005179.1; Yaba-like disease virus, NC002642.1. Scale bar represents number of substitutions per site.