Naturally occurring recombination in ferret coronaviruses revealed by complete genome characterization

J Gen Virol. 2016 Sep;97(9):2180-2186. doi: 10.1099/jgv.0.000520. Epub 2016 Jun 7.

Abstract

Ferret coronaviruses (FRCoVs) exist as an enteric and a systemic pathotype, of which the latter is highly lethal to ferrets. To our knowledge, this study provides the first full genome sequence of a FRCoV, tentatively called FRCoV-NL-2010, which was detected in 2010 in ferrets in The Netherlands. Phylogenetic analysis showed that FRCoV-NL-2010 is most closely related to mink CoV, forming a separate clade of mustelid alphacoronavirus that split off early from other alphacoronaviruses. Based on sequence homology of the complete genome, we propose that these mustelid coronaviruses may be assigned to a new species. Comparison of FRCoV-NL-2010 with the partially sequenced ferret systemic coronavirus MSU-1 and ferret enteric coronavirus MSU-2 revealed that recombination in the spike, 3c and envelope genes occurred between different FRCoVs.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cluster Analysis
  • Coronavirus / classification*
  • Coronavirus / genetics
  • Coronavirus / isolation & purification*
  • Coronavirus Infections / veterinary*
  • Coronavirus Infections / virology
  • Ferrets / virology*
  • Genome, Viral*
  • Netherlands
  • Phylogeny
  • RNA, Viral / genetics*
  • Recombination, Genetic*
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA
  • Sequence Homology

Substances

  • RNA, Viral