| Abstract: | Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV 2) is a causative agent of PCV 2‐associated disease, which is a growing problem in the swine industry worldwide. High nucleotide substitution occurs in the capsid (Cap) gene of PCV 2, which allows the continuous evolution and the emergence of novel PCV 2 strains. In this study, we sequenced 24 Chinese PCV 2 strains collected from healthy and diseased pigs between 2013 and 2015. Analyses of the genome, Cap and phylogeny classified the 24 Chinese PCV 2 strains as PCV ‐2a (four of 24), PCV ‐2b (five of 24) and PCV ‐2d (15 of 24). All strains shared 89.5%–100% and 87.2%–100% identities with the nucleotide and amino acid (aa) sequences of Cap, respectively. Selection pressure analysis showed that five sites at the epitope regions in Cap were under positive selection. Further analysis by Jameson–Wolf antigenic index indicated that aa substitutions occurring at the epitope regions contributed to the antigenic alterations of the different PCV 2 strains. High genetic variation and genotype shift to PCV 2d occurred in recent years, and different genotypes coexisted in Chinese pig herds. The data provide evidence for the increased genetic diversity and insights into the molecular epidemiology of PCV 2. |
