Work

Human papillomavirus 115 infects Yili horses

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: The E6 gene of human papillomavirus 115 (HPV-115) has been amplified in samples from Yili horses. This study aims to investigate the unexpected presence of HPV-115 in horses, considering whether it resulted from procedural errors by operators or actual infection of the horses by the virus. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) analysis of aborted fetal tissue samples from Yili horses revealed that 64.7% of the samples tested positive for HPV-115. Sequencing efforts also produced one complete genome and eight L1 gene sequences, strongly supporting the possibility that HPV-115 can infect Yili horses. Sequence analyses of nine L1 genes from HPV-115 detected in Yili horses showed 96.9%–98.2% nucleotide identities with seven human HPV-115 reference strains reported in China and one in Argentina. These findings suggest that the HPV-115 strains found in horses are closely related to those previously identified in humans. Phylogenetic analysis using L1 gene sequences from GenBank demonstrated a close relationship and clustering between HPV-115 strains detected in horses and a known lineage of HPV-115 in humans. These results suggest that Yili horses may serve as a natural host for HPV-115. To assess the seroprevalence of HPV-115, 276 serum samples from horses were analyzed using ELISA with recombinant E6 protein. The overall seropositivity rate was 11.6% (32 out of 276). Western blotting analysis further confirmed the presence of HPV-115 E6 antibodies in horse serum. This study provides the first evidence of trans-species infection of HPV-115 in horses, forming a foundation for comprehensive epidemiological investigations of HPV infections in animals.

Source: Animals and zoonoses.

DOI: 10.1016/j.azn.2025.02.005