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

Summary Blood samples from 65 sheep were tested for the presence of bovine Deltapapillomavirus (δ PV s) 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 δ PV E5 DNA was detected in blood from 24 of 27 (89%) sheep in Group 1. A single bovine δ PV type was detected in the blood from nine (33%) sheep, including the detection of bovine δ PV ‐1 DNA in four sheep, bovine δ PV ‐2 in four and δ PV ‐13 in one sheep. Two δ PV types were detected in 33% of the sheep, and three bovine δ PV types were detected in 22% of the sheep. Bovine δ PV s were detected in 17 of 20 (85%) sheep from Group 2. The detection rate by a single δ PV type was 40% with just δ PV ‐1 DNA amplified from two, just δ PV ‐2 DNA from four, and just δ PV ‐13 DNA from two sheep. Two and three δ PV s were detected in 30% and 15%, respectively. All sequenced amplicons showed a 100% identity with papillomaviral E5 DNA deposited in GenBank. Bovine δ PV ‐14 DNA sequences were not detected from any sheep. No bovine δ PV DNA was revealed in blood samples from sheep in Group 3. The detection of bovine δ PV DNA in the blood of sheep means that sheep may be able to be infected by these PV s. This suggests that bovine δ PV s 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.