Detection of bovine Deltapapillomavirus DNA in peripheral blood of healthy sheep (Ovis aries)

Blood samples from 65 sheep were tested for the presence of bovine Deltapapillomavirus (PVs) DNA. The sheep were divided into three groups. Sheep in groups 1 and 2 were from Sardinia and Campania, respectively, and were in contact with cattle and grazed on lands contaminated with bracken fern. Sheep in Group 3 lived in closed pens and had no contact with cattle. These sheep were fed hay that did not contain bracken fern. Bovine PV E5 DNA was detected in blood from 24 of 27 (89%) sheep in Group 1. A single bovine PV type was detected in the blood from nine (33%) sheep, including the detection of bovine PV-1 DNA in four sheep, bovine PV-2 in four and PV-13 in one sheep. Two PV types were detected in 33% of the sheep, and three bovine PV types were detected in 22% of the sheep. Bovine PVs were detected in 17 of 20 (85%) sheep from Group 2. The detection rate by a single PV type was 40% with just PV-1 DNA amplified from two, just PV-2 DNA from four, and just PV-13 DNA from two sheep. Two and three PVs were detected in 30% and 15%, respectively. All sequenced amplicons showed a 100% identity with papillomaviral E5 DNA deposited in GenBank. Bovine PV-14 DNA sequences were not detected from any sheep. No bovine PV DNA was revealed in blood samples from sheep in Group 3. The detection of bovine PV DNA in the blood of sheep means that sheep may be able to be infected by these PVs. This suggests that bovine PVs could potentially be a previously unrecognized cause of disease in sheep. Furthermore, it is possible that sheep could act as a reservoir for these viruses.