Phylogenetic analysis of feline panleukopenia virus (FPLV) strains in Korean cats

Sixteen Korean feline panleukopenia virus (FPLV) strains were compared with 48 non-Korean strains and two vaccine strains to conduct phylogenetic analysis of the FPLVs currently circulating among cats in Korea. Most of the residues that discriminate between FPLVs and canine parvoviruses (CPV-2, -2a, -2b, and -2c), including 80-Lys, 93-Lys, 103-Val, 323-Asp, 564-Asn, and 568-Ala, were conserved in the Korean FLPVs; however, exceptions were observed in two strains, namely K50/08 (80-Gln) and V142 (323-Asn). Phylogenetic analysis using the Bayesian inference and Neighbor-joining method showed that FPLVs were not segregated on a clear temporal or geographical basis. Three clusters (G1, G2, and G3) were formed by the VP2 nucleotide sequences analysed and Korean strains belonged to the G1 (n = 13) and G2 (n = 3) clusters. The ratio of non-synonymous to synonymous substitutions (dN/dS) revealed that purifying selection acts on the VP2 gene of Korean FPLVs.