Genotypes and morphologies of bovine papillomaviruses in Costa Rica

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Dermatology
• Virology
• Pathology

Background:

• Bovine papillomaviruses (BPVs) cause epithelial hyperplasias in cattle.
• Understanding BPV genotypes is crucial for diagnosis and management.
• Current knowledge on genotype-lesion correlation needs further elucidation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize bovine papilloma genotypes.
• To correlate papilloma morphology with specific BPV types.
• To identify novel BPV genotype associations with lesion types.

Main Methods:

• Descriptive study with non-probabilistic sampling of 99 papillomas from 63 cattle.
• Data collection included animal demographics, lesion characteristics, and location.
• Molecular and histopathological analyses were performed to identify BPV genotypes.

Main Results:

• Papillomas were most common in dairy cattle, females, Holstein breed, and older animals (>24 months).
• Cauliflower-like lesions were frequent, primarily on the udder, head, and neck.
• BPV1, BPV2, BPV6, BPV7, and BPV10 were associated with cauliflower-like papillomas; BPV2 and BPV6 linked to all types.
• BPV11 in flat and BPV6 in atypical papillomas were newly reported.

Conclusions:

• Morphological and histopathological features alone cannot differentiate BPV genotypes.
• BPV2 and BPV6 demonstrate broad associations across various papilloma types.
• This study expands the understanding of BPV genotype distribution and introduces novel associations.