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Journal of General Virology header logo Journal of General Virology

Volume 107, Issue 1

Genome sequence and annotation of ovine herpesvirus 1 Open Access

Abstract

Ovine herpesvirus 1 (OvHV-1) was first identified over 50 years ago in sheep with ovine pulmonary adenocarcinoma (OPA). An aetiological role in OPA was later ruled out and OvHV-1 was found to be a common infection in sheep in several countries. Here, we report the sequence and annotation of the complete OvHV-1 genome. The virus has a similar genomic architecture to members of the genus of the subfamily and is most closely related to bovine gammaherpesvirus 6 (BoGHV6). The OvHV-1 genome comprises a 144,637 bp unique region predicted to encode at least 74 proteins bounded by multiple copies of a 699 bp GC-rich repetitive terminal repeat. Predicted genes include 61 ORFs conserved among all gammaherpesviruses, and 12 genes present only in macavirus genomes, including a homologue of ovine IL-10, previously reported only in ovine gammaherpesvirus 2, and an ornithine decarboxylase, previously described only in BoGHV6. A further gene appears unique to OvHV-1 among macaviruses, encoding a viral-FLIP (FLICE-like inhibitory protein), similar to those found in some other gammaherpesviruses. Notably, several macavirus genes previously predicted in BoGHV6 are defective in OvHV-1. The availability of the genome sequence of OvHV-1 will facilitate studies on its relationship to other macaviruses and its role, if any, in disease.

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Keyword(s): gammaherpesvirus , macavirus , ovine herpesvirus 1 , ovine pulmonary adenocarcinoma and sheep
Funding
This study was supported by the:
  • Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services Division
    • Principal Award Recipient: NotApplicable
© 2026 The Authors
  • This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. This article was made open access via a Publish and Read agreement between the Microbiology Society and the corresponding author’s institution.
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2026-01-08
2026-01-14

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Genome sequence and annotation of ovine herpesvirus 1
J. Gen. Virol. 107, 002192 (2026); https://doi.org/10.1099/jgv.0.002192
/content/journal/jgv/10.1099/jgv.0.002192
/content/journal/jgv/10.1099/jgv.0.002192
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