Molecular epidemiology of bovine papillomatosis and the identification of a putative new virus type in Brazilian cattle

Bovine papillomaviruses (BPVs) are a diverse group of double-stranded DNA viruses, of which 12 viral types have been detected and characterized so far. However, there is still a limited understanding of the diversity of BPV. Several putative new BPVs have been detected and some of these have been recently characterized as new viral types. However, only a very limited amount of information is available on the pathology associated with these novel viral types yet this information could be of significant value in improving our understanding of the biology of BPV. The objective of this study was to examine some of the epidemiological features of cutaneous bovine papillomatosis in Brazilian cattle, in particular to establish the relationship between BPV types isolated from beef and dairy cattle herds and the lesions they cause.