Detection of circovirus infection in pigeons by in situ hybridization using cloned DNA probes.

Degenerate primers were designed based on known sequence information for the circoviruses psittacine beak and feather disease virus and porcine circovirus and applied by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to known virus-infected bursa of Fabricius (BF) from a pigeon. A 548-bp DNA fragment was amplified and shown to be specific to a novel circovirus, named pigeon circovirus (PiCV), and was used to produce sensitive and specific probes for detection of circovirus DNA by in situ hybridization (ISH). Using ISH on BF from 107 pigeons submitted for necropsy, infection was detected in 89%, compared with a histologic detection rate of 66%. Using the ISH technique, infected cells were also found in liver, kidney, trachea, lung, brain, crop, intestine, spleen, bone marrow, and heart of some birds. Large quantities of DNA were present in some of these tissues, and in the absence of BF, liver in particular is identified as a potentially useful organ to examine for presence of PiCV. This high prevalence of infection in diseased birds is noteworthy, emphasizing the need for studies to determine the precise role of this virus as a disease-producing agent.     

The epidemiology,molecular characterization and clinical pathology of circovirus infections in pigeons – current knowledge

The first cases of circovirus infections in pigeons were documented less than 25 years ago. Since then, circovirus infections have been reported on nearly all continents. The specificity of pigeon breeding defies biosecurity principles, which could be the reason for the high prevalence of PiCV infections. PiCV infections in pigeons lead to atrophy of immune system organs and lymphocyte apoptosis. Infected birds could be more susceptible to infections of the respiratory and digestive tract. PiCV has been associated with the young pigeon disease syndrome (YPDS). PiCVs are characterized by high levels of genetic diversity due to frequent point mutations, recombination processes in the PiCV genome and positive selection. Genetic recombinations and positive selection play the key role in the evolution of PiCV. A protocol for culturing PiCV under laboratory conditions has not yet been developed, and traditional vaccines against the infection are not available. Recombinant capsid proteins for detecting anti-PiCV antibodies have been obtained, and these antigens can be used in the production of diagnostic tests and subunit vaccines against PiCV infections. However, YPDS has complex etiology, and it remains unknown whether immunization against PiCV alone will contribute to effective control of YPDS.     

Experimental infection of domestic pigeons with pigeon circovirus

Pigeon circovirus (PiCV) infection and young pigeon disease syndrome (YPDS), associated with high morbidity and mortality, have been recognized in young racing pigeons from large portions of Central Europe. There exist a number of data indicating that YPDS is a consequence of PiCV infection and subsequent immunosuppression. In order to prove PiCV to be one of the crucial factors of YPDS, an experimental infection with PiCV was performed under controlled conditions. Twenty-four domestic pigeons (Columba livia forma domestica) were divided into two groups with 12 pigeons each; an infection group and a control group. All birds were between their fourth to eighth week of life. Pigeons in the infection group were infected both intramuscularly and orally with PiCV purified from naturally infected birds, while pigeons in the control group received a placebo. To test a possible influence of the PiCV infection on the immune system, the animals in both groups were vaccinated simultaneously, on the same day, against PMV-1 (Lasovac plus, IDT, Dessau-Tornau, Germany). Weekly virologic testing showed a viraemic period, and excretion of the infection virus, in pigeons in the infection group. Replication of PiCV could be proved on the basis of histologic findings of multiglobular inclusion bodies, mainly observed in macrophages of the bursa of Fabricius. A PiCV, genetically distinct from the experimental virus, was detected in the control group by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, but any histologic findings comparable to the infection group were absent. None of the pigeons revealed clinical signs of illness, or hints that immunosuppression had occurred, regardless of their group. The absence of stressful conditions, considered as a trigger for the development of YPDS, may be responsible for the failure of disease reproduction in our infection model.     

北京地区1株鸽圆环病毒全基因组测定及遗传进化分析

[目的] 了解北京地区流行的鸽圆环病毒（Pigeon circovirus,PiCV）的基因组特征及变异规律。[方法] 以3只发病鸽的肝脏和脾脏组织为模板,采用PCR技术检测病原。以检测阳性的肝脏组织DNA为模板,应用PCR技术分段扩增PiCV的全基因序列。应用DNAStar和Mega 7.0软件对扩增得到的全序列进行拼接和核苷酸序列比对,并构建系统进化树,对病毒基因组的2个开放阅读框分别进行核苷酸和氨基酸序列比对,并构建系统进化树。[结果] 经PCR检测,3只病鸽中有1只病鸽的组织中检测到PiCV阳性,并未检出其他病毒。采用PCR分段扩增成功获得了1株PiCV的全基因组序列,命名为PiCV BJ,该病毒基因组大小为2 034 bp,包含有2个主要的开放阅读框（ORFs）,ORF-V1编码Rep蛋白,ORF-C1编码Cap蛋白。相似性比对结果显示,PiCV BJ株基因组序列与GenBank上登录的其他参考序列的核苷酸相似性在86.0%~97.0%之间,与2011年分离自波兰的PL53相似性为97.0%。遗传进化结果显示,PiCV BJ株与2014年分离自波兰的PL124在同一分支,亲缘关系较近;与其他禽源圆环病毒不在同一分支,亲缘关系较远。PiCV BJ株Cap基因的起始密码子为ATG,与2011年分离自比利时的11-08304株核苷酸、氨基酸序列相似性高达95.8%和85.2%;Rep基因与2011年分离自波兰的PL53相似性最高,核苷酸和氨基酸相似性分别高达94.6%和96.2%;Cap和Rep基因的进化树分析结果也显示,PiCV BJ株均与PL53和11-08304株在同一分支,亲缘关系较近,这与相似性分析的结果一致。[结论] PiCV BJ株来自国外,可能由赛鸽引种传入中国,提示在外部引种时要做好病毒监测。本研究丰富了PiCV的遗传学研究资料,为进一步探究PiCV的遗传变异及传播机制提供了参考依据,也为PiCV的防控提供了重要的理论基础。     

Evaluation of polymerase chain reaction and dot blot hybridisation tests in the diagnosis of pigeon circovirus infections

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and dot blot hybridisation (DBH) tests for detecting pigeon circovirus (PiCV) DNA were developed and evaluated using tissue samples obtained from diseased and clinically normal pigeons, which originated in Belgium and Northern Ireland. When PCR product was visually detected, the limit of detection of the PCR test was 31 fg, while that of the DBH was 1.6p g. For evaluation purposes, the results of the PCR and DBH tests, performed with DNAs extracted from samples of bursa of Fabricius (BF), were compared with those of in situ hybridisation (ISH) and histology. In 32 samples tested by all four tests, 27 (84%) were positive by PCR, 24 (75%) were positive by ISH, 20 (63%) were positive by DBH, and 13 (41%) were positive by histology. Additional PCR testing showed that in some disease-affected birds, PiCV DNA could be detected in a range of tissues including thymus, spleen, liver, kidney and brain. The PCR detection of PiCV DNA in BF samples from clinically normal birds indicated that PCR can detect infections in the absence of disease, a finding that mitigates against its use as a disease diagnostic. In addition, nucleotide sequence determinations indicated that PCR test performance was adversely affected by the sequence diversity exhibited by selected PiCVs. The application of the DBH test to dilutions of test samples indicated that the BF from some diseased pigeons contained very large amounts of virus DNA, as much as 10(13)genome copies/g tissue, and suggested that this test may be a convenient method of providing a semi-quantitative estimate of virus load.     

鸽圆环病毒SYBR GreenⅠ荧光定量PCR方法的建立及应用

为建立一种针对鸽圆环病毒(PiCV)的快速诊断方法,试验根据PiCV的Rep保守基因序列,设计合成一对特异性引物,建立了PiCV荧光定量PCR检测方法,对其敏感性、特异性、重复性进行评价并利用该方法对临床样本进行检测。结果表明:在最佳反应条件下,所建立的PiCV荧光定量PCR方法在1.43×10²~1.43×10⁸copies/μL标准品范围内具有良好的线性相关性,线性相关系数为0.998;敏感性试验结果显示,该方法最低可检测到1.43×10²copies/μL标准品,是常规PCR检测方法的1000倍;特异性试验结果显示,该方法与其他常见的鸽病病原不发生交叉反应;重复性评价结果显示,批内与批间的变异系数均小于0.8%;所建立PiCV荧光定量PCR方法对临床鸽血清样品检测结果显示,PiCV阳性率达38.7%,高于常规PCR方法的检测阳性率(28.7%),说明该方法具有良好的适用性。研究结果PiCV的流行病学调查、病原学监测及定量研究奠定了基础。     

Prevalence of pigeon circovirus infections in feral pigeons in Ljubljana, Slovenia

Pigeon circovirus (PiCV) was detected by real-time PCR in cloacal swabs, pharyngeal swabs, and serum samples taken from 74 feral pigeons (Columba livia var. domestica) that were caught at various locations in the city of Ljubljana, Slovenia. PiCV infections were detected in the majority of the tested birds. The highest (74.3%) detection rate was observed in the cloacal swabs and the lowest (31.1%) in serum samples. PiCV DNA was more readily detected in the cloacal swabs, pharyngeal swabs, and serum samples of birds younger than 1 yr. Molecular analysis of partial open reading frame V1 sequences showed that PiCV strains detected in feral pigeons share high nucleotide and amino acid sequence identities with PiCV strains detected in ornamental, racing, meat, and feral pigeons.     

Sequence comparison of pigeon circoviruses

The genome sequences of eight pigeon circoviruses (PiCV) were determined and compared with four previously published sequences. The viruses compared were from the USA, five European countries, China and Australia and included PiCVs from racing, feral, ornamental and meat pigeons and a Senegal dove (Streptopelia senegalensis). The 12 PiCV genomes, ranging from 2032 to 2040 nucleotides in length, displayed similar organizations. Pairwise comparisons showed that the genome nucleotide sequence identities ranged from 85.1% to 97.8% and that the amino acid identities of the putative replication associated (Rep) and putative capsid (Cap) proteins displayed ranges of 91.5-99.1% and 73.0-99.3%, respectively. Comparative analyses identified conserved nucleotide sequences within the Rep gene and 3' intergenic regions, which would be suitable for diagnostic PCR primers, and variable amino acid sequences within the capsid proteins, which should be considered when selecting virus isolates for vaccine development.     

鸽圆环病毒浙江株△Cap基因的克隆与原核表达

根据已发表的鸽圆环病毒(PiCV)序列,在V1ORF保守序列部位设计引物(目的片段长度为629bp),对浙江某鸽养殖场的病料进行PCR扩增检测,获得阳性样品;应用设计的删除核定位信号外壳蛋白基因(△Cap)的引物,扩增获得680bp的△Cap基因,克隆于pMD18-T载体,进行测序;将△Cap基因亚克隆到原核表达载体pET-28a进行融合表达,SDS-PAGE电泳检测发现,△Cap融合蛋白经IPTG诱导后在大肠杆菌中以包涵体形式表达,目的蛋白表达量占菌体总蛋白的22.1%。     

Detection of pigeon circovirus by polymerase chain reaction

Pigeon circovirus was identified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in young pigeons belonging to 12 different lofts. Viral DNA was extracted from formalin-fed, paraffin-imbedded tissues containing primarily bursa and occasionally liver and spleen with a commercial kit. PCR primers were selected from a published sequence for columbid circovirus and evaluated in a PCR assay. The histopathologic examination of various tissues revealed basophilic globular intracytoplasmic inclusions in the mononuclear cells of the bursa of Fabricius and occasionally in the spleen characteristic for a circovirus. Transmission electron microscopy of a few bursas of Fabricius revealed virus particles measuring 18-21 nm. All the samples were negative by PCR for psittacine beak and feather disease (PBFD) virus and chicken infectious anemia virus. The primers for both pigeon circovirus and PBFD virus did not react in PCR with the chicken anemia virus DNA. Most of the circovirus-infected pigeons had concurrent infections of Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Pasteurella, Aspergillus, candidiasis, nematodiasis, or capillariasis.     

Identification of duck plague virus by polymerase chain reaction

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was developed for detecting duck plague virus. A 765-bp EcoRI fragment cloned from the genome of the duck plague vaccine (DP-VAC) virus was sequenced for PCR primer development. The fragment sequence was found by GenBank alignment searches to be similar to the 3' ends of an undefined open reading frame and the gene for DNA polymerase protein in other herpesviruses. Three of four primers sets were found to be specific for the DP-VAC virus and 100% (7/7) of field isolates but did not amplify DNA from inclusion body disease of cranes virus. The specificity of one primer set was tested with genome templates from other avian herpesviruses, including those from a golden eagle, bald eagle, great horned owl, snowy owl, peregrine falcon, prairie falcon, pigeon, psittacine, and chicken (infectious laryngotracheitis), but amplicons were not produced. Hence, this PCR test is highly specific for duck plague virus DNA. Two primer sets were able to detect 1 fg of DNA from the duck plague vaccine strain, equivalent to five genome copies. In addition, the ratio of tissue culture infectious doses to genome copies of duck plague vaccine virus from infected duck embryo cells was determined to be 1:100, making the PCR assay 20 times more sensitive than tissue culture for detecting duck plague virus. The speed, sensitivity, and specificity of this PCR provide a greatly improved diagnostic and research tool for studying the epizootiology of duck plague.     

PCR test for detecting Taenia solium cysticercosis in pig carcasses

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test was employed to detect Taenia solium DNA in muscle lesions for validation of the meat inspection results of slaughtered pigs. Two sets of oligonucleotide primers, one targeted against the large subunit rRNA gene (TBR primers) and the other targeted against cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene (Cox1 primers) of T. solium were used in this study. On reactivity in PCR test, the TBR primers and the Cox1 primers yielded products of 286 and 984 bp, respectively, in cysticercosis positive cases. Both the sets of primers were found to be highly specific, since they did not yield any PCR product in negative controls. A total of 225 pig carcasses were screened for cysticercosis by meat inspection, out of which 25 carcasses with visible cysts (16 viable and 9 degenerated cysts) were also confirmed to be positive for cysticercosis in PCR test. However, out of the 35 carcasses with suspected lesions on meat inspection, only two were found to be positive for cysticercosis in PCR test. The detection limits for both the primer sets were analyzed. The TBR primer set could detect up to 10 pg of cysticercus DNA, whereas the Cox1 primer set could detect only up to 1 ng. It is evident from the study that PCR test is an efficient tool for validation of meat inspection results and also to rule out ambiguity in carcass judgment of suspected cases of porcine cysticercosis.     

广东鹅源圆环病毒分子流行病学调查与毒株遗传进化分析

为了解广东地区圆环病毒在鹅群中的流行情况。研究针对鹅圆环病毒全基因组保守序列设计特异性检测引物,采用PCR方法对送检的232份鹅疑似鹅圆环病毒感染病例进行检测。并针对其中一份阳性样品病毒全基因组进行测序,获得该毒株全基因组序列信息。对该毒株全基因进行遗传进化分析、Cap蛋白相似性分析和B细胞抗原表位预测。结果显示,232份样品中阳性检出率为44.4%,表明鹅圆环病毒在广东地区鹅群中普遍存在,鹅圆环病毒毒株与其他已报道的鹅源毒株处于同一遗传进化分支,鹅源毒株间Cap蛋白相似性为98.0%~100%,但与鸭圆环病毒相似性低(46.9%~48.2%);Cap蛋白B细胞线性表位预测结果提示,鹅源和鸭源毒株表位位置相近,但氨基酸序列差异较大,提示两种毒株之间交叉保护力可能存在差异。研究为了解广东地区鹅源圆环病毒流行、进化情况,并进一步做好相关防控工作提供理论参考。     

猪细小病毒、伪狂犬病病毒和猪圆环病毒2型多重PCR检测方法的建立及应用

根据猪细小病毒(PPV)、伪狂犬病病毒(PRV)和猪圆环病毒2型(PCV-2)的基因序列,分别选取各自的保守区段设计引物,通过反应条件的优化,建立了检测PPV、PRV和PCV-2的多重PCR方法.用建立的方法对采自陕西省部分猪场的286份病料及血样进行检测,从对临床健康猪全血样品中PPV、PRV和PCV-2的检测结果看...     

猪捷申病毒与猪圆环病毒2型双重PCR检测方法的建立及初步应用

为建立可同时检测猪捷申病毒（PTV）与猪圆环病毒2型（PCV2）的双重PCR方法,本研究根据GenBank登录的相关病毒基因序列,选择保守区域设计引物,经过反应条件的优化,建立了可同时检测以上2种病毒的PCR诊断方法,扩增片段长度分别为187bp（PTV）、120bp（PCV2）。通过实验证明该方法具有良好的特异性和较高的敏感性,对PTV、PCV2核酸检测最低浓度分别为2．8×10^-2ng和6．6×10^-3ng。应用该方法对43份临床样品进行检测发现,PTV阳性率为23％,PCV2阳性率为38％,PTV与PCV2共感染率为16％。该方法的成功建立,为快速高效地检测以上2种病毒提供有力手段。     

Viral infections in pigeons

This review provides a current update on the major viral diseases of the domestic pigeon (Columba livia domestica), based on scientific reports and clinical experience. Paramyxovirus 1, adenovirus, rotavirus, herpesvirus 1, poxvirus and circovirus infections are described according to common clinical signs and target tissues. Since pigeons are sometimes treated as if they were poultry, the review also summarises the common viral infections of poultry for which pigeons are considered resistant. It is hoped that the review will provide a useful reference for veterinarians and others and offer advice on the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of the major infectious diseases of pigeons.     

New data on the transmission of pigeon circovirus

Nineteen racing pigeons aged from one to five years were examined postmortem. pcr tests showed that the spleens of 16 of them were positive for pigeon circovirus, the livers of six were positive, and blood from one of them was positive for the virus. Five of 44 embryos in embryonated eggs collected from three lofts were positive by pcr, but swabs taken from the crops of 64 adult birds which were feeding one- to 10-day-old squabs in these three lofts were negative for the viral dna.     

Isolation,molecular identification,and phylogenetic evaluation of Cryptococcus neoformans isolated from pigeon lofts,Psittaciformes, and Passeriformes in Ahvaz,Iran

Cryptococcus neoformans, the main pathogen in immunocompromised patients, is a ubiquitous free-living fungus that can be isolated from avian excreta, soils, and plant material. This study was carried out to determine the infection rate of pigeon lofts, Passeriformes, and Psittaciformes in Ahvaz, the capital of Khuzestan province in Iran and to determine varieties of Cryptococcus neoformans (C. neoformans). The 80 samples were collected from pigeon lofts. Also, 163 feces of captive birds (Passeriformes and Psittaciformes) which kept in Ahvaz pet shops, and the 70 cloacal swabs of pet birds (Passeriformes and psittaciformes) referring to the department of avian medicine (the faculty of veterinary medicine of Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz) were analyzed. The samples were directly inoculated on niger seed agar (NSA) and also enriched in brain heart infusion broth and then inoculated on NSA. Dark brown colonies suspected to C. neoformans subcultured on saborouds dextrose agar and pure cultures subjected to molecular (polymerase chain reaction (PCR)) diagnosis. For detection of C. neoformans, primer sets that targeting the CNLAC1 gene were selected and nested PCR was conducted. For identification of C. neoformans varieties, a primer set targeting the STR1 gene was selected. For more accurate confirmation, the purified PCR products of some isolates were also sequenced, and based on the gene sequences, all of the isolates belonged to C. neoformans variety grubii (var. grubii)(serotype A). Totally 16 out of 80 pigeon samples (20%) were contaminated with C. neoformans. The results in pigeons disclosed a 98.64% identity when compared with other strains of C. neoformans (CN1525, T4, and T1) which were previously deposited in GenBank from Italy and Thailand. Also, 21 out of 233 samples from Psittaciformes (9.01%) were contaminated with C. neoformans. The results in Psittaciformes disclosed a 99.7% identity when compared with other strains of C. neoformans (TIMM1313, IFM5882, CN1525, etc.) which were previously deposited in GenBank from Japan and Italy, etc. In the present study, the samples belonging to the passerine order were free of C. neoformans infection. According to the results, C. neoformans is prevalent in pigeon flocks and pet birds including Psittaciformes in the Ahvaz area, and should be considered by pigeon and captive bird breeders, veterinarians, and public health organizations in Ahvaz. The cryptococcus species isolated from captive birds and pigeons could be potential pathogens in humans.