First detection and genetic analysis of fox‐origin porcine circovirus type 2

Porcine circovirus type 2 ( PCV 2) is a causative agent of porcine circovirus‐associated disease ( PCVAD ), which is a serious problem in the swine industry worldwide. In recent years, nonporcine‐origin PCV 2 has attracted more and more attention of the researchers. This study reported on the first identification of PCV 2 in farmed foxes with reproductive failure. Three fox‐origin PCV 2 strains were successfully isolated, sequenced, and designated as Fox HB 1, Fox HB 2, and Fox HB 3 respectively. Pairwise‐sequence comparisons of the complete genomes revealed that three fox‐origin PCV 2 strains had nucleotide identities varied from 91.9% to 99.7% with representative strains of PCV 2 different genotypes. Meanwhile, phylogenetic analysis based on complete genomes of 44 PCV 2 strains indicated that the fox‐origin PCV 2 strains belonged to Chinese epidemic genotypes PCV 2b and PCV 2d. These results provided the first supported evidence that PCV 2 could infect foxes, implying that the cross‐species transmission of PCV 2 would be a big threat to Chinese fur animal‐bearing industry.