Human Papillomavirus 115 infects horses

The amplification of E6 genes of human papillomavirus 115 (HPV-115) has been shown in Yili horse samples. This study aimed to determine the cause of the unexpected presence of HPV-115 in horses, which might be attributed to either incorrect procedure followed by the operators or the actual infection of horses by this virus. The qPCR analysis revealed that 64.7% of aborted fetal tissue samples from Yili horses tested positive for HPV-115. Additionally, one whole genome sequence and eight L1 gene sequences were obtained by sequencing. These findings strongly showed that HPV-115 could infect Yili horses. Comparison and phylogenetic analyses of the L1 genes demonstrated that the HPV-115 detected in horses was closely related to the previously discovered HPV-115 strains in humans. Furthermore, the overall seropositivity rate for HPV-115 in horse serum was 11.6% (32 out of 276) by ELISA using expressed recombinant E6 protein. Moreover, the presence of HPV-115 E6 antibodies in horse serum was verified using WB. These results indicated that Yili horses served as a natural host for the HPV-115. This work presents the initial evidence of HPV-115 trans-species infection in horses, which serves as the basis for a comprehensive epidemiological investigation of HPVs infection in animals.