Novel penguin Avian avulaviruses 17, 18 and 19 are widely distributed in the Antarctic Peninsula

Abstract

Three novel Avian avulavirus species were discovered and isolated during 2017 from Gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua) at Kopaitic island in the Northwestern region of the Antarctic Peninsula. The viruses were officially named as Avian avulavirus 17 (AAV17), Avian avulavirus 18 (AAV18) and Avian avulavirus 19 (AAV19), collectively referred to as penguin avulaviruses (PAVs). To determine whether these viruses are capable of infecting the three species of Pygoscelis spp. penguins (Gentoo, Adelie and Chinstrap) and assess its geographical distribution, serum samples were collected from seven locations across the Antarctic Peninsula and Southern Shetland Islands. The samples were tested by Hemagglutination inhibition assay using reference viruses for AAV17, AAV18 and AAV19. A total of 498 sera were tested, and 40 were positive for antibodies against AAV17, 20 for AAV18 and 45 for AAV19. Positive sera were obtained for the penguin's species for each virus; however, antibodies against AAV18 were not identified in Adelie penguins. Positive penguins were identified in all regions studied. Positive locations include Ardley Island and Cape Shirreff at Livingston Island (Southern Shetland Region); Anvers Island, Doumer Island and Paradise Bay in the Central Western region; and Avian Island at Southwestern region of the Antarctic Peninsula. The lowest occurrence was observed at the Southwestern region at Lagotellerie Island, where all samples were negative. On the other hand, Cape Shirreff and Paradise Bay showed the highest antibody titres. Field samples did not evidence cross‐reactivity between viruses, and detection was significantly higher for AAV19 and lower for AAV18. This is the first serologic study on the prevalence of the novel Avian avulaviruses including different locations in the white continent. The results indicate that these novel viruses can infect the three Pygoscelis spp. penguins, which extend across large distances of the Antarctic Peninsula.

Identification of Circovirus Genome in a Chinstrap Penguin (Pygoscelis antarcticus) and Adélie Penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) on the Antarctic Peninsula

“…However, our knowledge of pathogen presence and prevalence in even the continent’s most iconic group of animals, penguins (order: Sphenisciformes), remains limited. To date, most studies of Antarctic penguin viral pathogens have focused on colonies located near fixed scientific research stations, which can monitor sites seasonally or, in some cases, year-round over several years [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ].…”

Single-Stranded DNA Viruses in Antarctic Cryoconite Holes

“…Yau and Seth-Pasricha [31] and Smeele, et al [32] provide comprehensive reviews on our current knowledge of Antarctic virology. DNA viruses have been described from continental Antarctica [9] in soils [33,34,35], microbial mats [36,37], and lakes [38,39,40,41,42], and associated with various Antarctic animals [32,43,44,45] including fish [46,47]. Many of the viruses discovered in Antarctic aquatic ecosystems have single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) viral genomes [37,38,39].…”

Avian orthoavulavirus 1 (Newcastle Disease virus) antibodies in five penguin species, Antarctic peninsula and Southern Patagonia

“…According to the manufacturer, this is a validated commercial with high sensitivity and specificity, earlier detection of seroconversion (7 dpi), detection of all AOaV-1 strains, and no cross-reactions with AOaV-3, which produces almost all the false positives in immunodiagnostic tests (Nayak et al, 2012;Rauw et al, 2020). Alternatively, we determine no cross-reactions with AOaV-17, AOaV-18, and AOaV-19, which have been widely detected in penguins from the Antarctic Peninsula (Neira et al, 2017;Olivares et al, 2019;Wille et al, 2019).…”

“…The statistical analyses were performed using R version 4.0.2 (R Core Team, 2020) and GraphPad Prism version 8.0.0 for Mac, GraphPad Software. Finally, the specificity of this kit was evaluated using positive antisera against novel Avian orthoavulaviruses (AOaV-17, AOaV-18, and AOaV-19), which have been widely detected previously in Chinstrap, Gentoo, and Adelie penguins from the Antarctic Peninsula, demonstrating the no cross-reactivity with them (Neira et al, 2017;Olivares et al, 2019;Wille et al, 2019).…”