Detection and characterization of new papillomaviruses in animals

The host range of papillomaviruses is usually restricted to one species and includes both mammals and non-mammals. More than four hundred different papillomaviruses have been described to date. In the course of routine papillomavirus diagnostics, we frequently discover new papillomaviruses. Further characterization by means of sequencing the entire viral genome and applying bioinformatic tools reveals the evolutionary context of these viruses.