Adenoviruses are a ubiquitous group of viruses that have been found in a wide range of hosts. A novel adenovirus from a skunk suffering from acute hepatitis was isolated and its DNA genome sequenced. The analysis revealed this virus to be a new member of the genus Mastadenovirus, with a genome of 31,848 bp in length containing 30 genes predicted to encode proteins, and with a G+C content of 49.0%. Global genomic organization indicated SkAdV-1 was similar in organization to bat and canine adenoviruses, and phylogenetic comparison suggested these viruses shared a common ancestor. SkAdV-1 demonstrated an ability to replicate in several mammalian liver cell lines suggesting a potential tropism for this virus.

Fowl aviadenoviruses, many of which are of importance in veterinary medicine, are classified into 5 species. In this study, a pathogenic isolate and a nonpathogenic isolate of fowl aviadenovirus serotype 11 (FAdV-11) of species Fowl aviadenovirus D were characterized. Growth rates were analyzed for the 2 isolates, showing notable differences. The complete genomic sequences of the viruses were fully determined and were analyzed. The genomes of the 2 isolates showed 98.1% sequence identity and revealed 6 nonsynonymous mutations between the Ontario isolates. Two of the 6 mutations were also found in the sequences of recently published pathogenic Chinese fowl aviadenovirus 11 isolates, suggesting potential molecular markers that could be associated with pathogenesis. Deletions were found in the L5 region within the overlapping coding sequences for the 100, 22, and 33 kDa proteins, and these were found in only the nonpathogenic isolates. This molecular pattern was identified in FAdV-9, another nonpathogenic FAdV-D species virus. Furthermore, the tandem repeat regions varied dramatically; the pathogenic isolates contained a reduced number of tandem repeats compared with the nonpathogenic isolates. Lastly, a protein produced early in infection was analyzed using bioinformatics to determine its role in disease. This study highlights several candidate molecular determinants of avian adenovirus genomes related to pathogenicity.

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