Detection of a novel astrovirus from a black-naped monarch (Hypothymis azurea) in Cambodia

Abstract

BackgroundAstroviruses are comprised of two genera with Avastrovirus infecting birds and Mamastrovirus infecting mammals. Avastroviruses have primarily been associated with infections of poultry, especially chicken, turkey, duck, and guineafowl production systems, but also infect wading birds and doves. Outcomes result in a spectrum of disease, ranging from asymptomatic shedding to gastroenteritis with diarrhea, stunting, failure to thrive and death.FindingsVirological surveillance was conducted in birds from two sites in Cambodia in 2010. Samples were screened for influenza, astroviruses, coronaviruses, flaviviruses, and paramyxoviruses. A total of 199 birds were tested and an astrovirus was detected in a black-naped monarch (Hypothymis azurea).ConclusionsThis is the first astrovirus detection in a passerine bird. Phylogenetic analysis and nucleotide distances suggest that this avastrovirus forms a distinct lineage and may constitute a fourth avastrovirus group.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12985-015-0413-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

A novel group of avian astroviruses from Neotropical passerine birds broaden the diversity and host range of Astroviridae

“…Our results significantly expanded the known range of hosts of avastroviruses and they provide further insight into genetic diversity, evolution and population structure of these viruses. Earlier reports on astroviruses from passerines were scarce or absent, with only one representative member detected in a black-napped monarch ( Hypothymis azurea ) from Cambodia 27 . However, our findings put forward passerines as putative cornerstone hosts of these viruses in the avifauna of the interior primary forest of the Guianan shield.…”

“…The difference becomes still higher if it is restricted to passerine birds, for which only one individual tested positive out of 199 screened in Cambodia by Mendenhall et al . 27 . This represents 0.8% prevalence, comparable with 5.1% of passerines infected in French Guiana (20 positive out of 395 tested).…”

Influence of age and body condition on astrovirus infection of bats in Singapore: An evolutionary and epidemiological analysis

“…Consistent with previous studies, our results indicate that bats harbor a genetically diverse group of astroviruses that are typically polyphyletic and predominantly situated in a basal position of the phylogenetic tree. Interestingly, we detected diverse lineages of bat astroviruses in our [27][28][29][30][31][32][33] samples that were collected from a small geographic area. We demonstrated that the astroviruses from Rhinolophus lepidus and Eonycteris spelaea in Singapore were phylogenetically distinct and clearly segregated into two distantly-related lineages.…”

“…Astrovirus outbreaks in commercial cow, pig, mink, turkey, duck, goose, chicken, and guinea fowl production facilities cause major economic losses [17][18][19][20][21][22][23]. In wildlife, avastroviruses have been detected in wild ducks, wading birds, passerines, pigeons, and penguins [24][25][26][27]. When infected, bats have been hypothesized notto become sick or display signs due to their unique immune response [28].…”

The Broad Host Range and Genetic Diversity of Mammalian and Avian Astroviruses

“…Fewer land dwelling wild birds have been found to harbor avian astroviruses including doves and pigeons (order Colombiformes), European roller (order Coraciiformes), and black-naped monarch (order Passeriformes) [51,104,110,111]. These viruses are highly divergent and largely unclassified, suggesting these viruses are endemic to the wild bird population (Figure 2a,b).…”