BackgroundOver the past 20 years, many marine seabird populations have been gradually declining and the factors driving this ongoing deterioration are not always well understood. Avipoxvirus infections have been found in a wide range of bird species worldwide, however, very little is known about the disease ecology of avian poxviruses in seabirds. Here we present two novel avipoxviruses from pacific shearwaters (Ardenna spp), one from a Flesh-footed Shearwater (A. carneipes) (SWPV-1) and the other from a Wedge-tailed Shearwater (A. pacificus) (SWPV-2).ResultsEpidermal pox lesions, liver, and blood samples were examined from A. carneipes and A. pacificus of breeding colonies in eastern Australia. After histopathological confirmation of the disease, PCR screening was conducted for avipoxvirus, circovirus, reticuloendotheliosis virus, and fungal agents. Two samples that were PCR positive for poxvirus were further assessed by next generation sequencing, which yielded complete Shearwaterpox virus (SWPV) genomes from A. pacificus and A. carneipes, both showing the highest degree of similarity with Canarypox virus (98% and 67%, respectively). The novel SWPV-1 complete genome from A. carneipes is missing 43 genes compared to CNPV and contains 4 predicted genes which are not found in any other poxvirus, whilst, SWPV-2 complete genome was deemed to be missing 18 genes compared to CNPV and a further 15 genes significantly fragmented as to probably cause them to be non-functional.ConclusionThese are the first avipoxvirus complete genome sequences that infect marine seabirds. In the comparison of SWPV-1 and −2 to existing avipoxvirus sequences, our results indicate that the SWPV complete genome from A. carneipes (SWPV-1) described here is not closely related to any other avipoxvirus genome isolated from avian or other natural host species, and that it likely should be considered a separate species.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-017-3680-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

In the pediatric population, respiratory infections are the most common cause of physician visits. Although many respiratory illnesses are self-limiting viral infections that resolve with time and supportive care, it can be critical to identify the causative pathogen at an early stage of the disease in order to implement effective antimicrobial therapy and infection control. Over the last few years, diagnostics for respiratory infections have evolved substantially, with the development of novel assays and the availability of updated tests for newer strains of pathogens. Newer laboratory methods are rapid, highly sensitive and specific, and are gradually replacing the conventional gold standards, although the clinical utility of these assays is still under evaluation. This article reviews the current laboratory methods available for testing for respiratory pathogens and discusses the advantages and disadvantages of each approach.

Background Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is an important viral disease causing significant economic losses in commercial livestock production. In mid‐2019, an outbreak of LSD has been reported in cattle population from different parts of Bangladesh including Chattogram division. A cross‐sectional surveillance study was undertaken from August 2019 to December 2019 to investigate the prevalence and associated risk factors of LSD in cattle in Chattogram district. Methods A total of 3,327 cattle from 19 commercial farms were examined for the LSD specific skin lesions and associated risk factors. A total of 120 skin biopsies were collected from the suspected animal for the confirmation of the disease using molecular detection and histopathological examination. Partial genome sequencing and phylogenetic analyses were performed on selected viral isolates. Results The overall clinical prevalence of LSD in the study population was 10% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 9.4%–11%) where the highest farm level outbreak frequency was 63.33% (95% CI: 45.51%–78.13%) and the lowest 4.22% (95% CI: 3.39%–5.25%). Crossbred and female cattle showed a significantly higher prevalence of the disease compared to their counterparts. Introduction of new animals in farms was found to be one of the most significant risk factors in the transmission of the disease. All suspected skin biopsies were positive for LSD virus (LSDV) infection with granulomatous and pyogranulomatous dermatitis was revealed on histopathology. Phylogenetic analysis based on the inverted terminal repeat region of the LSDV gene suggested that the locally circulating strain was closely related to the strains isolated from the Middle East and North African countries. Conclusions The data generated in this study would be beneficial to the field veterinarians and animal health decision makers in the country as well as it will aid in taking appropriate measures to prevent further relapse or outbreak of this disease in future.

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Competing roles of coevolution, selective pressure and recombination are an emerging interest in virus evolution. We report a novel aviadenovirus from captive red-bellied parrots (Poicephalus rufiventris) that uncovers evidence of deep recombination among aviadenoviruses. The sequence identity of the virus was most closely related to Turkey adenovirus D (42% similarity) and other adenoviruses in chickens, turkeys and pigeons. Sequencing and comparative analysis showed that the genome comprised 40,930 nucleotides containing 42 predicted open reading frames (ORFs) 19 of which had strong similarity with genes from other adenovirus species. The new genome unveiled a lineage that likely participated in deep recombination events across the genus Aviadenovirus accounting for an ancient evolutionary relationship. We hypothesize frequent host switch events and recombination among adenovirus progenitors in Galloanserae hosts caused the radiation of extant aviadenoviruses and the newly assembled Poicephalus adenovirus genome points to a potentially broader host range of these viruses among birds.