**1. Introduction**

Papillomaviruses (PVs) are epitheliotropic viruses that cause benign proliferative lesions in the skin (warts or papillomas) and mucous membranes (condylomas) of their natural hosts. However, certain malignant epithelial lesions have been attributed to PVs, especially in cases of cervical cancer and other human urogenital tract tumors [1].

The first DNA oncovirus recognized was also the first animal PV to be identified. Known as CRPV (cottontail rabbit papillomavirus), this virus was identified in the 1930s in warts on the skin of cottontail rabbits [2].

PVs are small, non-enveloped, icosahedral viruses that replicate in the nuclei of squa‐ mous epithelial cells. The diameter of the viral particles varies between 52 and 55 nm (Figure 1) [1].

Currently, PVs constitute a widely diverse group of DNA viruses. PVs have been found in many mammal species, as well as in certain birds and reptiles. In addition to human beings (human papillomavirus – HPV), PVs have been identified in most domestic animals, including bovines (BPV), canines (CPVs), goats (Capra hircus papillomavirus – ChPV1), equines (*Equus caballus* papillomavirus EcPVs), domestic felines (*Felis domesticus* papilloma‐ virus – FdPV), sheep (*Ovis aries* papillomavirus – OaPV), and swine (*Sus scrofa* papilloma‐ virus – SsPV1) [3].

© 2013 Lunardi et al.; licensee InTech. This is a paper distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

best represents it, whereas the remaining PV types classified within a single species are named

**Table 1.** Relationship between diverse taxonomic levels and the identity observed on the L1 ORF nt sequences.

**Taxonomic Level L1 ORF Identity** *Genus* <60% *Species* 60-70% Viral Type 71-89%

*Alphapapillomavirus* Human Papillomavirus 2, 6, 7, 10, 16, 18, 26, 32, 34, 53, 54, 61, 90

*Gammapapillomavirus Human Papillomavirus 4, 48, 50, 60, 88, 101, 109, 112, 116, 121*

Macaca mulata Papillomavirus 1

Bovine Papillomaviruses — Taxonomy and Genetic Features

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/56195

115

Macaca fascicularis Papillomavirus 2

Alces alces Papillomavirus 1 Bos taurus Papillomavirus1 Capreolus capreolus Papillomavirus 1 Odocoileus virginianus Papillomavirus1 Ovis aries Papillomavirus 1

Sylvilagus floridanus Papillomavirus 1

*Canis familiaris Papillomavirus 1* and *6* Felis domesticus Papillomavirus 1 Procyon lotor Papillomavirus 1

Micromys minutus Papillomavirus 1

**Genera Species**

*Betapapillomavirus* Human Papillomavirus 5, 9, 49, 92, 96

*Epsilonpapillomavirus Bos taurus Papillomavirus 5 Zetapapillomavirus Equus caballus Papillomavirus 1 Etapapillomavirus Fringilla coelebs Papillomavirus Thetapapillomavirus Psittacus erithacus Papillomavirus 1 Iotapapillomavirus Mastomys natalensis Papillomavirus 1 Kappapapillomavirus* Oryctolagus cuniculus Papillomavirus 1

*Mupapillomavirus Human Papillomavirus 1* and *63 Nupapillomavirus Human papillomavirus 41 Xipapillomavirus Bos taurus Papillomavirus 3*

*Pipapillomavirus* Mesocricetus auratus Papillomavirus 1

*Rhopapillomavirus Trichechus manatus latirostris Papillomavirus 1*

as virus strains (Table 2).

Source: [5].

*Deltapapillomavirus*

*Lambdapapillomavirus*

**Figure 1.** Electron micrograph of bovine papillomavirus type 1 virions (BPV1) (diameter of 55 nm). Source: [1].
