{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,2]],"date-time":"2026-09-02T00:10:33Z","timestamp":1788307833691,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":50,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,7]],"date-time":"2026-07-07T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1783382400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Jiangsu Province Agricultural Science and Technology Independent Innovation Fund Project","award":["CX(24)1010"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["CX(24)1010"]}]},{"award":["CX(24)1010"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["CX(24)1010"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/0335n2618","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Veterinary Sciences"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Although commercial vaccines against porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) have been widely implemented globally, PCV2 remains endemic in swine populations, accompanied by ongoing genotype replacement. Meanwhile, the emergence of novel porcine circoviruses (PCVs), including PCV3 and PCV4, has further complicated the prevention and control of porcine circovirus-associated diseases (PCVAD). This study systematically characterized the epidemiological patterns and genetic diversity of PCVs circulating in Eastern China. A total of 739 clinical samples collected between 2010 and 2016 were screened for PCV2. Additionally, 653 samples obtained during 2023\u20132024 were analyzed using a triplex real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay for the simultaneous detection of PCV2, PCV3, and PCV4. Full-genome amplification and sequencing were subsequently performed on all PCR-positive samples. Epidemiological analysis revealed an overall PCV2 positivity rate of 37.62% during 2010\u20132016. In the 2023\u20132024 cohort, the positivity rates for PCV2 and PCV3 were 35.99% and 16.39%, respectively, with a co-infection rate of 10.26%. Notably, no PCV4-positive samples were detected. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that PCV2d is the predominant genotype in Eastern China. Furthermore, PCV2g strains were identified in clinical samples for the first time in mainland China, while PCV3b were determined to be the dominant circulating subtype of PCV3. Multiple critical amino acid substitutions were identified within the neutralizing epitopes of the PCV2 Cap protein, and a recombination event involving a PCV2d vaccine strain and a PCV2c reference strain was detected. In contrast, the PCV3 genome exhibited a high degree of genetic conservation. Collectively, these findings expand the molecular epidemiological landscape of PCVs in Eastern China and elucidate the evolutionary dynamics of circulating PCV strains, providing important insights for the development of next-generation vaccines and region-specific PCVAD control strategies.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/vetsci13070657","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,7]],"date-time":"2026-07-07T09:53:46Z","timestamp":1783418026000},"page":"657","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["The Prevalence and Genetic Diversity of Porcine Circoviruses (PCVs) in Eastern China During 2010\u20132016 and 2023\u20132024"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Mingyue","family":"Wan","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Weizhen","family":"Shen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China"},{"name":"Key Laboratory of Animal Bacteriology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Peng","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Rural Work Management Service Center, Nanjing Jiangbei New Area, Nanjing 210031, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mengran","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China"},{"name":"Key Laboratory of Animal Bacteriology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0008-7489-6387","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jing","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China"},{"name":"Key Laboratory of Animal Bacteriology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7279-9489","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Bin","family":"Zhou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China"},{"name":"Key Laboratory of Animal Bacteriology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China"},{"name":"College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, 600 Changjiang Street Xiangfang District, Harbin 150030, China"},{"name":"Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment for Epizootic Diseases of Animals in Cold Regions of Heilongjiang Province, Northeast Agricultural University, 600 Changjiang Street Xiangfang District, Harbin 150030, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,7]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"64","DOI":"10.1038\/295064a0","article-title":"A very small porcine virus with circular single-stranded DNA","volume":"295","author":"Tischer","year":"1982","journal-title":"Nature"},{"key":"ref_2","first-page":"184","article-title":"Retrospective serological survey of antibodies to porcine circovirus type 1 and type 2","volume":"64","author":"Magar","year":"2000","journal-title":"Can. 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