Molecular characterization of partial and nearly full parvovirus VP2 gene sequences from Turkish domestic cats

Parvoviruses are ubiquitous pathogens that cause a fatal disease in cats and are able to mutate for cross-species transmission. Both the feline panleukopenia virus (FPV) and the canine parvovirus (CPV), with their antigenic variants, induce a disease in cats that presents with similar signs. The aim of this study was to determine the presence of parvoviruses in blood and exudate samples from five clinically symptomatic cats (from Ankara, Turkey). The gene coding for the VP2 structural capsid protein of the obtained parvoviruses was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), purified and partially or nearly full-length sequenced. The maximum likelihood (ML) method was used for molecular characterization. Phylogenetic analysis based on nearly full-length sequencing of the VP2 gene and amino acid arrangement showed that four of the viral strains were closely related and localized in the same FPV cluster. The fifth strain found was located in the same cluster but on a separate branch. Viral field strains were included in the CPV-2 group as determined by partial genome analysis: four fitted in the CPV-2c, and one in a separate Glade within the CPV-2b group. To our knowledge, this is the first report that details nearly full-length VP2 gene characterisation in Turkish cats. Overall, nearly full-length VP2 contrasts were more effective to determine the origin of parvovirus strains, than partial length comparisons.