Abstract
BACKGROUND: Porcine parvoviruses (PPVs) are widespread worldwide in the swine population. PPV1 is a significant infectious agent in pig production, causing porcine reproductive failure. The pathogenic potential of novel PPVs has been poorly studied. Since wild boars are a reservoir for PPVs, the aim of this study was to investigate their prevalence and genetic diversity in the wild boar population. Tissue samples (spleen, lungs, and lymph nodes) collected from 108 wild boars from three regions of Russia during 2021-2024 were analyzed. RESULTS: PPV1-7 were found in wild boar populations in Russia, and the most abundant species were PPV7 (59.3%) and PPV3 (49.1%). The research did not reveal any significant relationship between the gender and age of the animals and the prevalence of PPVs. A comparison between the detection rates of PPVs and PCV2/PCV3 revealed the random nature of coinfections. For phylogenetic analysis, complete VP1/VP2 gene sequences of 17 PPV1 isolates were obtained. Most of them belonged to the 27a-like group. Two isolates were in the same cluster as the highly virulent Kresse strain. Isolate BelWB57 had amino acid substitutions that were specific to both the Kresse and 27a-like strains, but it was not classified in either group. Additionally, three sequences for PPV2, PPV3, and PPV7, and one sequence for PPV5 and PPV6 VP1/VP2 genes were obtained. PPV2, PPV3, and PPV7 isolates demonstrated distribution across various clusters with strains from domestic pigs and wild boars from different countries. PPV6 isolate was included in the same clade as the Russian isolate from a domestic pig, whereas PPV5 did not enter any clade with representatives from our country. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first work devoted to the study of the PPV1-7 prevalence, as well as the genetic characteristics of isolates circulating among wild boars in various regions of Russia. Our data showed that PPV1-7 is widespread in wild boar populations. Phylogenetic analysis of PPV1 demonstrates a significant prevalence of 27a-like isolates.