Bovine papillomavirus in bovine aborted fetuses

• Grant number: 23/17595-9
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: May 01, 2024
• End date: April 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Pathology
• Principal Investigator: Claudia Del Fava
• Grantee: Claudia Del Fava
• Host Institution: Instituto Biológico (IB). Agência Paulista de Tecnologia dos Agronegócios (APTA). Secretaria de Agricultura e Abastecimento (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Liria Hiromi Okuda ; Simone Miyashiro
• Associated scholarship(s): 24/07358-2 - PAPILOMAVIRUS IN ABORTED BOVINE FETUS: epidemiological, anatomopathological and molecular studies, BP.TT

Abstract

Papillomaviruses are oncogenic and cause papillomas and fibropapillomas. Bovine papillomavirus-1 (BPV-1) DNA was found in cow uterine washings, placenta, amniotic fluid, and whole blood; BPV-1 DNA sequences have been detected in warts, whole blood, placenta, and amniotic fluid samples from a cow, and in blood samples from her calf collected immediately after birth. BPV-2 DNA was detected in cow ovarian and uterine tissues, uterine lavage, oocytes, cumulus cells, placenta, whole blood and processed bovine semen. Until now, BVP has been proven using molecular techniques in bovine organs and blood, but the association of the virus with abortion, macroscopic and microscopic pathology in aborted bovine fetuses has not yet been studied. BPV will be investigated in organs from aborted bovine fetuses from various regions of Brazil. A total of 120 fetuses will be necropsied and the organs will be aliquoted and fixed in 10% formaldehyde for histopathology, and other refrigerated fractions for molecular biology. Different techniques will be used: macroscopy, histopathology (hematoxylin and eosin staining), and PCR using generic primers FAP59 and FAP64 (BPV L1 viral capsid gene). If BPV will be detected by PCR, the viral DNA will be sequenced using the Sanger method and phylogenetic analysis performed. This project will evaluate the presence of BPV infection in bovine fetuses aborted by PCR, and if positive, perform phylogenetic analysis, as well as associate its presence with macroscopic and microscopic lesions, in addition to evaluating epidemiological data (geographical region, breed, fetal age). (AU)