12 novel atypical porcine pestivirus genomes from neonatal piglets with congenital tremors: A newly emerging branch and high prevalence in China

Atypical porcine pestivirus (APPV), a newly discovered member of the genus Pestivirus, is considered to be associated with congenital tremors (CT) in piglets. From June 2016 to January 2018, 440 serum and tissue samples from CT-affected piglets in Anhui, Guangdong and Guangxi provinces were collected to detect APPV. The results showed a high level of 63.4% preference for APPV in 27 swine farms and complicated co-infection cases between APPV and other 12 swine viruses. Meanwhile, 12 novel APPV genomes were screened and identified. Results showed that complete genomes, N-pro and NS5A genes of these novel 12 APPV sequences revealed 80.5%-99.8%, 78%-100% and 76.9%-99.8% nucleotide identities, respectively. Phylogenetic analyses based on sequences of full-length genomes, N-pro and NS5A genes of APPV indicated three well-defined clades including a newly emerging branch in China. This study provides novel epidemiological information of APPV in China.