• FluTrackers.com Inc. does not provide medical advice. Information on this web site is collected from various internet resources, and the FluTrackers board of directors makes no warranty to the safety, efficacy, correctness or completeness of the information posted on this site by any author or poster. The information collated here is for instructional and/or discussion purposes only and is NOT intended to diagnose or treat any disease, illness, or other medical condition. Every individual reader or poster should seek advice from their personal physician/healthcare practitioner before considering or using any interventions that are discussed on this website. By continuing to access this website you agree to consult your personal physican before using any interventions posted on this website, and you agree to hold harmless FluTrackers.com Inc., the board of directors, the members, and all authors and posters for any effects from use of any medication, supplement, vitamin or other substance, device, intervention, etc. mentioned in posts on this website, or other internet venues referenced in posts on this website.
  • We are not asking for any donations. Do not donate to any entity who says they are raising funds for us.

Antarctic penguins as reservoirs of diversity for avian avulaviruses

tetano

Editor, Senior Moderator
J Virol. 2019 Mar 20. pii: JVI.00271-19. doi: 10.1128/JVI.00271-19. [Epub ahead of print]
[h=1]Antarctic penguins as reservoirs of diversity for avian avulaviruses.[/h] Wille M[SUP]1[/SUP], Aban M[SUP]2[/SUP], Wang J[SUP]3[/SUP], Moore N[SUP]3[/SUP], Shan S[SUP]4[/SUP], Marshall J[SUP]5[/SUP], Acu?a DG[SUP]6[/SUP], Vijaykrishna D[SUP]7[/SUP], Butler J[SUP]4[/SUP], Wang J[SUP]4[/SUP], Hall RJ[SUP]3[/SUP], Williams DT[SUP]4[/SUP], Hurt AC[SUP]1[/SUP].
[h=3]Author information[/h]

[h=3]Abstract[/h] Wild birds harbour a huge diversity of avian avulaviruses (formerly avian paramyxoviruses). Antarctic penguin species have been screened for avian avulaviruses since the 1980s, and as such are known hosts of these viruses. In this study we screened three penguin species from the South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula for avian avulaviruses. We show that Adelie Penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) are hosts for four different avian avulavirus species: the recently described avian avulaviruses 17-19, and avian avulavirus 10-like, never before isolated in Antarctica. A total of 24 viruses were isolated and sequenced; avian avulavirus 17 was the most common, and phylogenetic analysis demonstrated patterns of occurrence with different genetic clusters corresponding to penguin age and location. Following infection in specific pathogen free chickens, all four avian avulavirus species were shed from the oral cavity for up to seven days post-infection. There was limited shedding from the cloaca in a proportion of infected chickens, and all but one bird seroconverted by day 21. No clinical signs were observed. Taken together, we propose that penguin species, including Antarctic penguins, may be the central reservoir for a diversity of avian avulavirus species, and that these viruses have the potential to infect other avian hosts.IMPORTANCE Approximately 99% of all viruses are still to be described, and in our changing world any one of these unknown viruses could potentially expand their host range and cause epidemic disease in wildlife, agricultural animals or humans. Avian avulavirus 1 causes outbreaks in wild birds and poultry and is thus well described. However, for many avulavirus species, only a single specimen has been described, and viral ecology and epidemiology is unknown. Through the detection of avian avulaviruses in penguins from Antarctica, we have been able to expand upon our understanding of three avian avulavirus species (avian avulaviruses 17-19) and report a potentially novel avulavirus species. Importantly we show that penguins appear to play a key role in the epidemiology of avian avulaviruses and encourage additional sampling of this avian group.
Copyright ? 2019 Wille et al.


PMID: 30894472 DOI: 10.1128/JVI.00271-19
Free full text
 
Back
Top Bottom