Characterization of the Whole-Genome Sequence of a Beak and Feather Disease Virus Isolate from a Mallee Ringneck Parrot ( Barnardius zonarius barnardi )

Abstract

The complete genome sequence of beak and feather disease virus (BFDV) from a wild Australian Mallee ringneck parrot (Barnardius zonarius barnardi) was characterized. The genome consists of 1,995 nucleotides and encodes two major proteins in opposing directions. This is the first evidence of BFDV infectivity and the first complete genome sequence for this novel host.

Evidence of a deep viral host switch event with beak and feather disease virus infection in rainbow bee-eaters (Merops ornatus)

“…1 shows a close relationship of the outbreak with BFDV (KF385399) from a red-tailed black cockatoo it is very unlikely that this species, or cockatoos more broadly, were the source of infection given the location of this genotype within a clade of both geographically and broadly genetically diverse host species 12 . The parrots of the Barnardius genus are a more likely source given their broad geographic range and abundance across Australia 28 .…”

Molecular Characterization of Genome Sequences of Beak and Feather Disease Virus from the Australian Twenty-Eight Parrot ( Barnardius zonarius semitorquatus )

“…Its recent discovery in critically endangered orange-bellied parrots has raised concerns for the conservation of native parrots, all of which are threatened or endangered ( 4 , 5 ). All Psittaciformes are considered susceptible to infection since it has been reported in more than 60 species of cockatoos and parrots ( 3 , 6 – 9 ). The etiological agent of the disease—beak and feather disease virus (BFDV), a compact circular, ambisense single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) virus belonging to the genus Circovirus in the family of Circoviridae ( 10 , 11 )—is perhaps the smallest and simplest pathogen known to infect vertebrates.…”

Whole-Genome Sequence of a Beak and Feather Disease Virus Isolate from a Fledgling Red-Capped Parrot ( Purpureicephalus spurius )

“…Beak and feather disease virus (BFDV) is a single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) virus from the Circoviridae family and a globally distributed pathogen for the Psittaciformes birds causing psittacine beak and feather disease (PBFD) ( 1 – 4 ). The genome is highly compact, ambisense, and only approximately 2,000 nucleotides long; it encodes two major bidirectionally transcribed proteins, known as replication-initiator protein (Rep) and capsid protein (Cap) ( 3 , 5 , 6 ).…”