Epidemiological and Molecular Investigation of Feline Panleukopenia Virus Infection in China

Overview

Journal Viruses

Publisher MDPI

Specialty Microbiology

Date 2025 Jan 8

PMID 39772273

Authors

Yinghui Wen

Zhengxu Tang

Kunli Wang

Zhengyang Geng

Simin Yang

Junqing Guo

Yongzhen Chen

Jiankun Wang

Zhiyu Fan

Pengju Chen

Jing Qian

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The feline panleukopenia virus (FPV) is a highly contagious virus that affects cats worldwide, characterized by leukopenia, high temperature and diarrhea. Recently, the continuous prevalence and variation of FPV have attracted widespread concern. The aim of this study was to investigate the isolation, genetic evolution, molecular characterization and epidemiological analysis of FPV strains among cats and dogs in China from 2019 to 2024. The 41 FPV strains, including 38 feline strains and 3 canine strains, were isolated from rectal swab samples by inoculating monolayer FK81 cells and performing a plaque purification assay. The viral and hemagglutination titers of these 41 FPV strains were 10~10 TCID/0.1 mL and 7.0 log~9.7 log, respectively. Based on the complete VP2 gene, the nucleotide homology of these FPV strains was 98.91~100%, and the homology with 24 reference FPV strains from different countries and hosts was 98.85~100%. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that 41 FPV strains were more closely related to the FPV strains of Asian origin (Asian FPV strain group) than those of European and American origin (European and American FPV strain group). Furthermore, 12 mutation sites of the VP2 protein were found in these FPV strains, of which 91 and 232 amino acid sites were previously reported. Moreover, the 91 amino acid site was found to be a positive selection site with the highest dN/dS value in the selection pressure analysis. Importantly, 35 FPV strains with 91S substitution in the VP2 protein (FPV-VP2-91S strains) had formed obvious evolutionary branches in the Asian FPV strain group. The analysis of all available VP2 protein sequences of Chinese FPV strains in the GenBank database showed that the occurrence rate of FPV-VP2-91S strains had been increasing from 15.63% to 100% during 2017~2024, indicating that the FPV-VP2-91S substitution in the VP2 protein was a noteworthy molecular characteristic of the dominant FPV strains in China. These results contribute to a better understanding of their genetic evolution and renew the knowledge of FPV molecular epidemiology.

Citing Articles

Elucidating the Microsatellite Signature of the Tri-Partite Genomes of the Viral Family Peribunyaviridae.

Vishwakarma A, Nasrin T, Hoque M, Ali S Curr Microbiol. 2025; 82(5):191.

PMID: 40080168 DOI: 10.1007/s00284-025-04177-2.

References

Goodman L, Lyi S, Johnson N, Cifuente J, Hafenstein S, Parrish C . Binding site on the transferrin receptor for the parvovirus capsid and effects of altered affinity on cell uptake and infection. J Virol. 2010; 84(10):4969-78. PMC: 2863798. DOI: 10.1128/JVI.02623-09. View

Domingues C, de Castro T, do Lago B, Cubel Garcia R . Genetic characterization of the parvovirus full-length VP2 gene in domestic cats in Brazil. Res Vet Sci. 2024; 170:105186. DOI: 10.1016/j.rvsc.2024.105186. View

Li X, Wu H, Wang L, Spibey N, Liu C, Ding H . Genetic characterization of parvoviruses in domestic cats in Henan province, China. Transbound Emerg Dis. 2018; 65(6):1429-1435. DOI: 10.1111/tbed.13014. View

Truyen U, Parrish C . Canine and feline host ranges of canine parvovirus and feline panleukopenia virus: distinct host cell tropisms of each virus in vitro and in vivo. J Virol. 1992; 66(9):5399-408. PMC: 289096. DOI: 10.1128/JVI.66.9.5399-5408.1992. View

Sassa Y, Yamamoto H, Mochizuki M, Umemura T, Horiuchi M, Ishiguro N . Successive deaths of a captive snow leopard (Uncia uncia) and a serval (Leptailurus serval) by infection with feline panleukopenia virus at Sapporo Maruyama Zoo. J Vet Med Sci. 2010; 73(4):491-4. DOI: 10.1292/jvms.10-0446. View

Palermo L, Hueffer K, Parrish C . Residues in the apical domain of the feline and canine transferrin receptors control host-specific binding and cell infection of canine and feline parvoviruses. J Virol. 2003; 77(16):8915-23. PMC: 167234. DOI: 10.1128/jvi.77.16.8915-8923.2003. View

Parrish C . Host range relationships and the evolution of canine parvovirus. Vet Microbiol. 1999; 69(1-2):29-40. DOI: 10.1016/s0378-1135(99)00084-x. View

Strassheim M, GRUENBERG A, Veijalainen P, Sgro J, Parrish C . Two dominant neutralizing antigenic determinants of canine parvovirus are found on the threefold spike of the virus capsid. Virology. 1994; 198(1):175-84. DOI: 10.1006/viro.1994.1020. View

Inthong N, Sutacha K, Kaewmongkol S, Sinsiri R, Sribuarod K, Sirinarumitr K . Feline panleukopenia virus as the cause of diarrhea in a banded linsang (Prionodon linsang) in Thailand. J Vet Med Sci. 2019; 81(12):1763-1768. PMC: 6943334. DOI: 10.1292/jvms.19-0238. View

10.

Chen X, Wang J, Zhou Y, Yue H, Zhou N, Tang C . Circulation of heterogeneous Carnivore protoparvovirus 1 in diarrheal cats and prevalence of an A91S feline panleukopenia virus variant in China. Transbound Emerg Dis. 2022; 69(5):e2913-e2925. DOI: 10.1111/tbed.14641. View

11.

Xue H, Hu C, Ma H, Song Y, Zhu K, Fu J . Isolation of feline panleukopenia virus from Yanji of China and molecular epidemiology from 2021 to 2022. J Vet Sci. 2023; 24(2):e29. PMC: 10071280. DOI: 10.4142/jvs.22197. View

12.

Liu C, Liu Y, Qian P, Cao Y, Wang J, Sun C . Molecular and serological investigation of cat viral infectious diseases in China from 2016 to 2019. Transbound Emerg Dis. 2020; 67(6):2329-2335. DOI: 10.1111/tbed.13667. View

13.

Li S, Chen X, Hao Y, Zhang G, Lyu Y, Wang J . Characterization of the VP2 and NS1 genes from canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2) and feline panleukopenia virus (FPV) in Northern China. Front Vet Sci. 2022; 9:934849. PMC: 9742280. DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2022.934849. View

14.

Pan S, Jiao R, Xu X, Ji J, Guo G, Yao L . Molecular characterization and genetic diversity of parvoviruses prevalent in cats in Central and Eastern China from 2018 to 2022. Front Vet Sci. 2023; 10:1218810. PMC: 10434225. DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1218810. View

15.

Ikeda Y, Mochizuki M, Naito R, Nakamura K, Miyazawa T, Mikami T . Predominance of canine parvovirus (CPV) in unvaccinated cat populations and emergence of new antigenic types of CPVs in cats. Virology. 2000; 278(1):13-9. DOI: 10.1006/viro.2000.0653. View

16.

Parker J, Murphy W, Wang D, OBrien S, Parrish C . Canine and feline parvoviruses can use human or feline transferrin receptors to bind, enter, and infect cells. J Virol. 2001; 75(8):3896-902. PMC: 114880. DOI: 10.1128/JVI.75.8.3896-3902.2001. View

17.

Agbandje M, McKenna R, Rossmann M, Strassheim M, Parrish C . Structure determination of feline panleukopenia virus empty particles. Proteins. 1993; 16(2):155-71. DOI: 10.1002/prot.340160204. View

18.

Hueffer K, Govindasamy L, Agbandje-Mckenna M, Parrish C . Combinations of two capsid regions controlling canine host range determine canine transferrin receptor binding by canine and feline parvoviruses. J Virol. 2003; 77(18):10099-105. PMC: 224579. DOI: 10.1128/jvi.77.18.10099-10105.2003. View

19.

Agbandje-McKenna M, Llamas-Saiz A, Wang F, Tattersall P, Rossmann M . Functional implications of the structure of the murine parvovirus, minute virus of mice. Structure. 1998; 6(11):1369-81. DOI: 10.1016/s0969-2126(98)00137-3. View

20.

Decaro N, Desario C, Miccolupo A, Campolo M, Parisi A, Martella V . Genetic analysis of feline panleukopenia viruses from cats with gastroenteritis. J Gen Virol. 2008; 89(Pt 9):2290-2298. DOI: 10.1099/vir.0.2008/001503-0. View