Short beak and dwarfism syndrome of mule duck is caused by a distinct lineage of goose parvovirus

Abstract

From the early 1970s to the present, numerous cases of short beak and dwarfism syndrome (SBDS) have been reported in mule ducks from France. The animals showed strong growth retardation with smaller beak and tarsus. It was suggested that the syndrome was caused by goose parvovirus on the basis of serological investigation, but the causative agent has not been isolated and the disease has not so far been reproduced by experimental infection. The aim of the present study was to characterize the virus strains isolated from field cases of SBDS, and to reproduce the disease experimentally. Phylogenetic analysis proved that the parvovirus isolates obtained from SBDS of mule duck belonged to a distinct lineage of goose parvovirus-related group of waterfowl parvoviruses. The authors carried out experimental infections of 1-day-old, 2-week-old and 3-week-old mule ducks by the oral route with three different parvovirus strains: strain D17/99 of goose parvovirus from Derzsy's disease, strain FM of Muscovy duck parvovirus from the parvovirus disease of Muscovy ducks, and strain D176/02 isolated from SBDS of mule duck. The symptoms of SBDS of the mule duck could only be reproduced with the mule duck isolate (strain D176/02) following 1-day-old inoculation. Infection with a genetically different strain of goose parvovirus isolated from classical Derzsy's disease (D17/99) or with the Muscovy duck parvovirus strain (FM) did not cause any clinical symptoms or pathological lesions in mule ducks.

Identification of Goose-Origin Parvovirus as a Cause of Newly Emerging Beak Atrophy and Dwarfism Syndrome in Ducklings

“…For example, GPVa2006 could produce 100% mortality when inoculated into 1-day-old Muscovy ducklings, but neither tongue protrusion nor short-beak signs were reported for these diseased animals (6). In contrast, GPV-QH15 and GPV1995 infections in ducklings resulted in tongue protrusion accompanied by smaller beaks, with 3% to 6% mortality (2,8,17). The tongue protrusion in ducklings infected with GPV-QH15 seemed to be more aggressive than that shown in GPV1995-infected animals.…”

“…GPVa2006 was a gooseorigin parvovirus and could produce 100% mortality when inoculated into 1-day-old Muscovy ducklings (6). Interestingly, GPV1995 was a goose parvovirus discovered in Hungary (isolated from diseased ducklings in 1995) that had also been thought to be associated with a short beak syndrome and growth retardation, symptoms similar to the clinical symptoms caused by GPV-QH15 (17).…”

“…It has been well documented that both ducks and geese are susceptible to GPV infection, though only ducks can be infected by MDPV (5,8,17,(22)(23)(24). Little is known in the public literature about whether GPVa2006 and GPV1995 are capable of replicating and causing disease in geese.…”

“…Parvovirus-associated BADS in ducklings was initially described in Europe by Palya and colleagues in 2009 (17). Disease outbreaks were discovered predominantly in the major poultry-producing provinces of eastern China.…”

“…Among the four trees, GPV-QH15 isolated from diseased ducklings was consistently grouped with GPVs rather than with MDPVs. Furthermore, GPV-QH15 clustered with GPVa2006 and GPV1995, two known gooseorigin parvoviruses isolated from ducklings previously (2,6,8,17), to form the distinctive GPV IIa lineage. Phylogenetically, GPVa2006 and GPV1995 grouped most closely together with GPV-QH15 in all trees except for the viral NS1 tree.…”