Genetic typing of porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV-2) isolates from Slovakia.

Of 120 clinical specimens obtained from pigs bred on 28 PMWS-affected farms in Slovakia, porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV-2) was detected by single PCR in 77 samples. A short 224 bp fragment of ORF2 was used for preliminary grouping of isolates by phylogenetic analysis. Nucleotide sequences of the entire ORF2 region provided more precise genetic typing and segregation of preselected isolates (n=10) into two known genotypes, PCV-2a (n=1) and PCV-2b (n=9). Complete genome sequencing of three selected isolates allowed their definitive grouping into genotype PCV-2b, cluster 1A or genotype PCV-2a, cluster 2D. No correlation between the mutations and the geographic origin of isolates was observed. Results confirmed that many PCV-2 isolates are genetically very stable since similar viruses circulate in Central and Western Europe.