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Several studies have detected the virus in different species, both in asymptomatic and diseased subjects, highlighting PCV-2 host plasticity. As PCV-2 has been identified in carnivores, the present study was undertaken to investigate the susceptibility of domestic dogs to PCV-2 infection by testing archived blood samples originating from low-income rural areas in Namibia. The population was selected considering the high exposure probability to PCV-2 due to direct contact and\/or feeding with raw pig meat or by-products. Thirty-eight of the samples (6.61%) tested positive for PCV-2, and the complete ORF2 of 7 strains was sequenced, revealing the presence of the three major PCV-2 genotypes (i.e. PCV-2a, -2b, and -2d). Convincing epidemiological links with other Namibian and South African strains were established for PCV-2a and PCV-2b strains, while the PCV-2d strains were part of a broader clade that included sequences of viruses collected worldwide, especially in Asia. Although PCV-2 was reported in diseased dogs, no statistically significant or robust causal association between infection and disease manifestation was demonstrated. In conclusion, PCV-2 infection has been identified in Namibian dogs, most likely due to the ingestion of contaminated meat and by-products. However, the epidemiological and clinical consequences are still unclear and further investigations are necessary. Nevertheless, the high proportion of infected dogs showing clinical signs raises concern about the potential of PCV-2\u2019s role as a relevant viral pathogen in Namibia. The use of raw meat for dog nutrition should be discouraged, considering the known risks to animal and human health through disease transmission.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1186\/s12917-025-04581-7","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,12]],"date-time":"2025-03-12T03:13:27Z","timestamp":1741749207000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Further evidence of the host plasticity of porcine circovirus-2: detection of the virus in domestic dogs in Namibia"],"prefix":"10.1186","volume":"21","author":[{"given":"Umberto","family":"Molini","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Lourens","family":"de Villiers","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Lauren M.","family":"Coetzee","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Herschelle P.","family":"Green","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mari","family":"de Villiers","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Siegfried","family":"Khaiseb","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Giovanni","family":"Cattoli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"William G.","family":"Dundon","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Giovanni","family":"Franzo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,12]]},"reference":[{"key":"4581_CR1","first-page":"182","volume-title":"Encyclopedia of Virology","author":"G Franzo","year":"2020","unstructured":"Franzo G, Segal\u00e9s J. 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No ethical approval was required for analysis of secondary sample material from the archived sample biobanks. The initial sampling was performed according to the Ethical Clearance Certificate Number NEC0001 released by Neudamm Decentralized Ethics Committee, Neudamm Campus University of Namibia.","order":2,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Ethics approval and consent to participate"}},{"value":"Not applicable.","order":3,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Consent for publication"}},{"value":"The authors declare no competing interests.","order":4,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Competing interests"}}],"article-number":"162"}}