Picobirnavirus Detection in Animals From Amazon Biome

Abstract

This study aimed to detect picobirnavirus (PBV) in the fecal samples of wild and domestic animals from 2014 to 2016 in the Amazon biome. For detection, Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (PAGE) and RdRp gene based Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) preceded by Reverse Transcription (RT) were used. Subsequently, statistical analyses were performed using the Chi-square G test and nucleotide analyses for the construction of the phylogenetic tree. A total of 258 fecal samples from different animals, including birds (n=41) and mammals (n=217) were used. The PAGE test showed negativity for PBV genome in all samples while in the RdRp gene based RT-PCR test 32 samples showed amplification, corresponding to 12.4% (32/258) positivity. Among the positive samples, mammals, including pigs and cats, both with 28.12% (9/32), registered the highest frequencies, and in birds, the positivity was 4.9% (2/41). In phylogenetic analysis, eight sequences from positive samples grouped in the genogroup 1 of PBV (GI). The statistical test was significant for PBV in relation to the groups of animals studied (birds, mammals, and rodents), and in relation to the cities of origin of the samples, with a value of p <0.05. Nucleotide analysis demonstrated similarity among the feline group, but the absence of a defined structure between the clades. PBVs are highly widespread viruses that can affect the most diverse types of hosts in the Amazon biome.