Avian Polyomavirus Infection and Disease in a Green Aracaris (Pteroglossus viridis)

Abstract

Avian polyomavirus (APV) is one of the most significant pathogens of domestically raised psittacine birds (parrots). One or more APVs are suspected to infect nonpsittacine cage birds, but the relationship of these viruses to the APV infecting parrots remains unclear. In this report, for the first time, we fully document an APV infection in a nonpsittacine cage bird, a green aracaris (Pteroglossus viridis). Grossly, this bird evidenced generalized hemorrhage. Histologically, there was severe hepatic necrosis, splenic necrosis, and the presence of lightly basophilic to clear pannuclear inclusion bodies and karyomegaly in splenocytes and renal mesangeal cells, all characteristic lesions of APV infection in parrots. APV DNA was amplified directly from the liver by polymerase chain reaction and sequenced. The virus differed from the original APV sequence by only 24 base pairs (0.48% of the genome), demonstrating that it is a variant of the APV. A serologic survey of the remaining birds in the aviary demonstrated anti-APV antibody in two cockatoos, two cockatiels, a laughing kookaburra, a Lady Ross turaco, and five zebra finches. The remaining green aracaris was seronegative. The sequence and serologic data suggest that the APV that infected the green aracaris originated in a parrot and was capable of infecting birds from at least four orders.

Unusual fatal avian polyomavirus infection in nestling cockatiels (Nymphicus hollandicus) detected by nested polymerase chain reaction

“…Both sequences amplified by the nested PCR matched those described before (Rott et al, 1988;Lafferty et al, 1999) and we did not discover any previously unreported substitution. Our sequences covered, however, only two fifths of the VP1 ORF and only one seventh of the VP2 ORF, thus, there could be differences in the other parts of the APV genome.…”

“…Products of the first round of nested PCR for APV detection in the young cockatiel and fledgling budgerigar were sequenced and the sequences were compared with those published previously using the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) (Altschul et al, 1990). The comparison of both sequences (NH-MS 1 from the young cockatiel and MU-MS 1 from the fledgling budgerigar) showed 100% homology with sequences M20775 (Rott et al, 1988), AF118150 (Lafferty et al, 1999) and AF241168 (Rott et al, 1988) and 99.6% (2 changes) homology with sequences AF241170 and AF241169 (Rott et al, 1988).…”

Natural Biology of Polyomavirus Middle T Antigen

“…The 12 types of polyomaviruses identified so far are two human (JCV and BKV), two monkey (SV40 in rhesus monkeys and LPV in African green monkeys), Chacma baboon (simian agent 12 [SA12]), rabbit (rabbit kidney vacuolating virus), two mouse (Py and K virus), rat, hamster (HaPV), bovine, and avian (budgerigar fledgling disease virus) viruses (for a review, see reference 264). Recent papers have shown that the avian polyomaviruses may all belong to one group, but none seem to be very species specific (163,189,262). Only the hamster and one of the mouse types, Py, are known to encode an MT (rabbit and rat polyomaviruses remain unsequenced).…”

Mortality Due to Polyomavirus Infection in Two Nightjars (Caprimulgus europaeus)

“…[5][6][7][8][9] The nonpsittacine bird species includes those from the orders Galliformes, 10 Falconiformes, 1 and one report in a green aracari (Pteroglossus viridis, Piciformes). 11 In the Passeriformes, the infection was reported in Estrildidae, Fringillidae, Paridae, and in shamas (Copsychus malabaricus, Muscicapidae). [12][13][14][15][16][17][18] The nightjars we describe belong to the order Caprimulgiformes, and, to our knowledge there are no reports of polyomavirus infection affecting any representative of this order.…”