📄 M gene analysis of atypical strains of feline and canine coronavirus circulating in an Austrian animal shelter

Coronavirus-positive samples of faeces collected in an Austrian animal shelter from 12 cats and 10 dogs were analysed by reverse transcriptase-PCR with primers amplifying a segment of the M protein gene, and by sequence analysis. In addition, the samples were subjected to S gene typing, using primers that differentiated between feline coronavirus (FCov) types I and II. A phylogenetic analysis of the M gene sequences revealed not only clearly segregating canine coronavirus (CCoV) in the dogs, typical CCoV sequences and the recently described FCoV-like CCoV, but also at least two genetic clusters of FCoV in the cats, one species-specific, the other more closely related to FCoV-like CCoV. The M gene sequences of these new feline strains had at most 88 percent identity with the FCoV-like CCoV strain 259/01 and only up to 85 per cent with any FCoV sequence available in Gen. Bank. In the phylogenetic tree they occupy an intermediate position between feline and canine coronaviruses.

keywords 🔗 closely related (222) 🔗 sequence analysis (118) 🔗 phylogenetic analysis (188) 🔗 reverse transcriptase (87) 🔗 canine coronavirus (102) 🔗 feline coronavirus (148)

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