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Updated: Jul 10, 2026

Rapid, Seamless Generation of Recombinant Poxviruses using Host Range and Visual Selection
Published on: May 24, 2020
Comparative analysis reveals frequent recombination in the parvoviruses
Laura A Shackelton1, Karin Hoelzer2, Colin R Parrish2
1Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, Mueller Laboratory, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
Abstract:
Parvoviruses are small single-stranded DNA viruses that are ubiquitous in nature. Infections with both autonomous and helper-virus dependent parvoviruses are common in both human and animal populations, and many animals are host to a number of different parvoviral species. Despite the epidemiological importance of parvoviruses, the presence and role of genome recombination within or among parvoviral species has not been well characterized. Here we show that natural recombination may be widespread in these viruses. Different genome regions of both porcine parvoviruses and Aleutian mink disease viruses have conflicting phylogenetic histories, providing evidence for recombination within each of these two species. Further, the rodent parvoviruses show complex evolutionary histories for separate genomic regions, suggesting recombination at the interspecies level.
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