Identification of a Novel Parvovirus in the Arctic Wolf (Canis lupus arctos)

A novel virus, temporarily named “Arctic wolf parvovirus” (AWPV), was discovered in a pharyngeal metagenomic library derived from an Arctic wolf (Canis lupus arctos) in China. The genome sequence was assigned GenBase accession number C_AA071902.1. AWPV has a genome comprised of 4,920 base pairs with a nucleotide composition of 36.4% A, 23.4% T, 18.2% G, and 22.0% C, with a GC content of 40.2%. Its structure resembles parvoviruses, containing two open reading frames: the nonstructural (NS) region encoding replication enzymes and the structural (VP) region encoding capsid protein. Pairwise sequence comparison and phylogenetic analysis suggest AWPV may represent a novel species within the genus Protoparvovirus. This discovery enhances our understanding of mammalian virus ecology and potential future infectious diseases.