A New Virus Disease of Pigeons

Abstract

A virus has been isolated from the tissues of a pigeon with visceral lesions that were characterized by focal necrosis of parenchymatous tissue, by the presence in affected cells of intranuclear inclusions of the herpetic type, and by secondary inflammatory reaction. This newly recognized virus, which has been tentatively called the I.N.I. agent is pathogenic for pigeons and embryonated eggs but is avirulent for rabbits, guinea pigs, and mice. The virus is smaller than the agent of psittacosis and is immunologically different from it. The I.N.I. agent and psittacosis virus were both of etiological importance in an epizootic among pigeons. Some birds were infected simultaneously with the two agents while others were infected with only one.

Phylogenetic analysis of Columbid herpesvirus-1 in rock pigeons, birds of prey and non-raptorial birds in Poland

“…[3] as an agent affecting pigeons that caused visceral lesion such as necrosis especially in liver. Herpesvirus infection was frequently identified in young pigeons and free-ranging birds from different countries of Europe [12,16,20-22], Iraq [23], USA [1,13,15], Australia [4,14] and Canada [5].…”

“…Therefore, pigeons are thought to be the main source of infection also for free-ranging birds [11]. The observed clinical signs in pigeons are called Smadel’s disease [3,11] or fatal inclusion body hepatitis in falcons and owls [1,12-14]. Smadel’s disease is present in young squabs between ten and sixteen weeks old [1,3].…”

“…In case of inclusion body hepatitis in falcons, the clinical signs are non-specific and may also be manifested by weakness and anorexia. The specific lesions observed during Smadel’s disease include upper respiratory tract inflammation and ulceration as well as hepatic and splenic necrosis [1,3]. In case of herpesvirus infection of falcons the lesions include small necrotic foci in liver, spleen, kidney, pharynx and bone marrow [14-16].…”

Herpesviral Inclusion Body Disease in Owls and Falcons is Caused by the Pigeon Herpesvirus (Columbid herpesvirus 1).

“…A virus of Rock Pigeons (Columba livia) associated with inclusion body disease, and now tentatively called columbid herpesvirus 1 (CoHV-1) by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV), was first described in 1945 (Smadel et al, 1945) and was characterized in detail in a series of reports in the late 1960s and 1970s. Production of typical cytopathic effects in cell culture using a variety of avian cell lines (Cornwell and Weir, 1970a), intranuclear inclusion body formation when grown in 10-day-old chick embryos (Cornwell and Weir, 1970b), and detection by electron microscopy of intranuclear viral particles structurally consistent with a herpesvirus (Cornwell and Weir, 1967) suggested the etiology was a herpesvirus.…”

Detection of CoHV-1 by loop-mediated amplification (LAMP). Application of LAMP for CoHV-1 incidence monitoring in domestic pigeons

“…The clinical signs are observed for 1–7 days then usually the birds die (Smadel et al . ; Kaleta ). Gross lesions include inflammation of respiratory tract and ulceration, enlargement of liver and spleen with foci of necrosis.…”