Avian Bornavirus Associated with Fatal Disease in Psittacine Birds

Abstract

Thanks to new technologies which enable rapid and unbiased screening for viral nucleic acids in clinical specimens, an impressive number of previously unknown viruses have recently been discovered. Two research groups independently identified a novel negative-strand RNA virus, now designated avian bornavirus (ABV), in parrots with proventricular dilatation disease (PDD), a severe lymphoplasmacytic ganglioneuritis of the gastrointestinal tract of psittacine birds that is frequently accompanied by encephalomyelitis. Since its discovery, ABV has been detected worldwide in many captive parrots and in one canary with PDD. ABV induced a PDD-like disease in experimentally infected cockatiels, strongly suggesting that ABV is highly pathogenic in psittacine birds. Until the discovery of ABV, the Bornaviridae family consisted of a single species, classical Borna disease virus (BDV), which is the causative agent of a progressive neurological disorder that affects primarily horses, sheep, and some other farm animals in central Europe. Although ABV and BDV share many biological features, there exist several interesting differences, which are discussed in this review.

Detection and Characterization of a Distinct Bornavirus Lineage from Healthy Canada Geese (Branta canadensis)

“…Subsequent identification of ABV sequences and/or antigen in brains of birds with neurologic illness supported the initial findings (21,22), and experimental challenge of parrots with brain homogenates (6) or ABV-infected duck embryo fibroblasts (DEF) (7,14) caused PDD-like lesions. Thus, avian bornaviruses are now recognized as potential pathogens with widespread distribution (18).…”

Two Neuropsychiatric Cases Seropositive for Bornavirus Improved by Ribavirin

“…Interestingly, several new bornavirus strains have been discovered in birds since 2008 (5,6). In 2015, a new strain was detected in the brains of three squirrel breeders who died of acute encephalitis and in their squirrels (7).…”

Synergistic antiviral activity of ribavirin and interferon-α against parrot bornaviruses in avian cells

“…Bornaviruses are slowly replicating viruses that can persistently infect neurons and various other cell types in susceptible hosts. Disease is assumed to result from virus-induced immunopathology rather than from direct cell damage (reviewed in Kuhn et al, 2015;Staeheli et al, 2010). PDD in psittacines is a mostly chronic and often fatal disease, which is characterized by gastrointestinal or neurological signs or a combination of both.…”