ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Veterinary Infectious Diseases
Whole-Genome Characterization and Phylogenetic Analysis of Pigeon Circovirus in Racing Pigeons from Heilongjiang, China
Provisionally accepted
Jia Sun1
Yan Miao1Shijie Lan2Jingjing Zhao1Wenying Dong1Jia Hu1Hansong Li1Huinan Li1Xinran Li1Ming Wang1Yaru Xu1Chunqiu Li1
XiaoXu Xing1Dan Yang1
Qinghe Zhu1*- 1Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, Daqing, China
- 2Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences Branch of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Branch, Qiqihar, China
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Pigeon circovirus (PiCV), a globally distributed pathogen, is associated with immunosuppression and high mortality in racing pigeons. Despite its endemicity in Chinese pigeon populations, molecular epidemiological data on PiCV in Northeast China remains scarce. This study reports the first complete genome sequence of PiCV isolated from racing pigeons in Heilongjiang Province. Through next-generation sequencing (NGS) for whole-genome assembly and systematic PCR-Sanger sequencing for validation, we obtained the complete 2,035 bp genome (designated HLJ2024). Homology analysis revealed nucleotide identities of 72.9–97.7% with other PiCV reference strains; notably, the cap (Capsid) protein of HLJ2024 exhibited a signature mutation (isoleucine [I]-leucine [L]) at residue 222 relative to its closest relative strain TF4/SN/2016, with predicted structural alterations proximal to this site. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that strain HLJ2024 forms an independent clade (GⅠ) and is closely related to strains of clade GⅡ (TF4/SN/2016, QD6/SN/2018). Recombination analysis suggested that HLJ2024 likely arose from recombination between two Chinese parental strains-GF17/GuangDong/2014 (major parent) and TY2/SN/2016 (minor parent). Our findings reveal active PiCV evolution in Northern China driven by point mutations and interregional recombination, providing critical insights into viral adaptability and transmission dynamics in Northeast China. These results provide a foundation for molecular epidemiology-based surveillance of PiCV in this understudied region and hold significant implications for developing targeted prevention strategies tailored to locally circulating strains.
Keywords: pigeon circovirus, whole-genome sequence, capsid protein, recombination, evolution
Received: 13 Aug 2025; Accepted: 24 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Sun, Miao, Lan, Zhao, Dong, Hu, Li, Li, Li, Wang, Xu, Li, Xing, Yang and Zhu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Qinghe Zhu
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