Evidence of avian poxvirus and papillomavirus infection in Gyps fulvus in Italy

Francesco, Cristina Esmeralda Di; Profeta, Francesca; Romanucci, Mariarita; Zuccarini, Roberto; Altea, Tiziana; Malatesta, Daniela; Salda, L. Della; Marsilio, Fulvio

doi:10.1007/s00705-018-4055-8

Cited by 9 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…The involvement of wild birds in the epidemiology of APV infections in Italy has been demonstrated by disease events, as previously reported [12][13][14]. To the best of our knowledge, no data about prevalence rates of APVs spreading in healthy avian populations in Italy and worldwide are available; thus, our results are not comparable to those reported in the literature.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 62%

“…APV infections have been observed in wild birds with typical cutaneous lesions. In Italy, the etiologic virus was found in stone curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus) [10], common buzzard (Buteo buteo) [11,12], Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica), grey partridge (Perdix perdix), canary (Serinus canarius), song thrush (Turdus philomelos), pheasant (Phasianus colchicus), feral pigeon (Columba livia), gyrfalcon (Hierofalco rusticolus), hooded crow (Corvus corone), dunnock (Prunella modularis) [13], and griffon vultures (Gyps fulvus) [14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Molecular Detection of Avipoxvirus in Wild Birds in Central Italy

Bertelloni

Ceccherelli

Cossato

et al. 2022

Animals

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Avipoxviruses (APVs) are important pathogens of both domestic and wild birds. The associated disease is characterized by skin proliferative lesions in the cutaneous form or by lesions of the first digestive and respiratory tracts in the diphtheritic form. Previous studies investigated these infections in symptomatic wild birds worldwide, including Italy, but data about the circulation of APVs in healthy avian wildlife are not available. The present study tested spleen samples from 300 wild birds without typical lesions to detect Avipoxvirus DNA. Overall, 43.33% of the samples scored positive. Aquatic birds were more frequently infected (55.42%) than other animals (26.40%), and in Anseriformes, high positivity was found (52.87%). The obtained results suggest that wild birds could be asymptomatic carriers of Avipoxviruses, opening new possible epidemiological scenarios.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 62%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular Detection of Avipoxvirus in Wild Birds in Central Italy

Bertelloni

Ceccherelli

Cossato

et al. 2022

Animals

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“…Besides the F. coelebs PV (FcPV-1), the Psittacus erithacus timneh PV (PePV-1) and the Fulmarus glacialis PV (FgPV-1) have been identified in association with cutaneous tumors of the African gray parrot and the northern fulmar, respectively (Tachezy et al, 2002; Terai et al, 2002; Gaynor et al, 2015). Furthermore, a PV was recently identified in cutaneous lesions of a griffon vulture ( Gyps fulvus ) (Di Francesco et al, 2019) and the Francolinus leucoscepus PV (FlPV-1) was identified on the healthy skin of a yellow-necked francolin (Van Doorslaer et al, 2009). There is also evidence for the existence of mucocutaneous APVs in birds: the Serinus canaria PV (ScPV-1) was detected in the oral cavity of canaries (Truchado et al, 2018a) and three other APV species were identified in cloacal swabs or fecal content of the Adélie penguin [ Pygoscelis adeliae PV-1 (PaPV-1) and -2] and in mallard [ Anas platyrhynchos ; duck PV (DuPV)] (Varsani et al, 2014; Fawaz et al, 2016; Van Doorslaer et al, 2017b; Williams et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

New Insight Into Avian Papillomavirus Ecology and Evolution From Characterization of Novel Wild Bird Papillomaviruses

et al. 2019

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Viruses in the family Papillomaviridae have circular dsDNA genomes of approximately 5.7–8.6 kb that are packaged within non-enveloped, icosahedral capsids. The known papillomavirus (PV) representatives infect vertebrates, and there are currently more than 130 recognized PV species in more than 50 genera. We identified 12 novel avian papillomavirus (APV) types in wild birds that could represent five distinct species and two genera. Viruses were detected in paired oropharyngeal/cloacal swabs collected from six bird species, increasing the number of avian species known to harbor PVs by 40%. A new duck PV (DuPV-3) was found in mallard and American black duck (27.6% estimated prevalence) that was monophyletic with other known DuPVs. A single viral type was identified in Atlantic puffin (PuPV-1, 9.8% estimated prevalence), while a higher genetic diversity was found in other Charadriiformes. Specifically, three types [gull PV-1 (GuPV-1), -2, and -3] were identified in two gull species (estimated prevalence of 17% and 2.6% in American herring and great black-backed gull, respectively), and seven types [kittiwake PV-1 (KiPV-1) through -7] were found in black-legged kittiwake (81.3% estimated prevalence). Significantly higher DuPV-3 circulation was observed in spring compared to fall and in adults compared to juveniles. The studied host species’ tendencies to be in crowded environments likely affect infection rates and their migratory behaviors could explain the high viral diversity, illustrating how host behavior can influence viral ecology and distribution. For DuPV-3, GuPV-1, PuPV-1, and KiPV-2, we obtained the complete genomic sequences, which showed the same organization as other known APVs. Phylogenetic analyses showed evidence for virus–host co-divergence at the host taxonomic levels of family, order, and inter-order, but we also observed that host-specificity constraints are relaxed among highly related hosts as we found cross-species transmission within ducks and within gulls. Furthermore, the phylogeny of viruses infecting the Charadriiformes did not match the host phylogeny and gull viruses formed distinct monophyletic clades with kittiwake viruses, possibly reflecting past host-switching events. Considering the vast PV genotype diversity in other hosts and the large number of bird species, many more APVs likely remain to be discovered.

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“…Similarly, a poxvirus together with a papillomavirus were identified in cutaneous lesions from a Griffon Vulture from Italy (Di Francesco et al . 2019). According to a study of individuals from zoo collections, other vulture species could be susceptible to this virus (Kim et al .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Implications of bacterial, viral and mycotic microorganisms in vultures for wildlife conservation, ecosystem services and public health

Plaza

Blanco

Lambertucci

2020

Ibis

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The effects that microorganisms (bacteria, viruses and fungi) have on their hosts remain unexplored for most vulture species. This is especially relevant for vultures, as their diet consists of carcasses in various stages of decomposition, which are breeding grounds for potentially pathogenic microorganisms. Here we review current knowledge of bacterial, viral and mycotic microorganisms present in wild vultures. We consider their potential to cause disease in vultures and whether this poses any population‐level threats. Furthermore, we address the question of whether vultures may act as disease spreaders or mitigators. We found 76 articles concerning bacterial, viral and mycotic microorganisms present in 13 vulture species, 57 evaluating bacteria, 13 evaluating viruses and six evaluating mycotic microorganisms. These studies come from all continents where vultures are present, but mainly from Europe and North America, and the most studied species was the Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus. We found that vultures are colonized by zoonotic pathogens, and even host‐specific human pathogens. Some recorded bacteria showed multi‐antibiotic resistance, especially those that can be associated with anthropogenic food subsides such as supplementary feeding stations. We found evidence that vulture health can be affected by some microorganisms, producing a wide array of clinical alterations that have the potential to influence mortality risk and fitness. We did not find clear scientific evidence that vultures play an epidemiological role spreading microorganisms to humans and other species. However, there is evidence that vultures could prevent the spread of infectious diseases through their removal of decomposing organic material. The evaluation of vulture exposure to microorganisms is of fundamental importance to design better conservation policies for this threatened group, which may serve a key role as ecosystem cleaners.

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Evidence of avian poxvirus and papillomavirus infection in Gyps fulvus in Italy

Cited by 9 publications

References 23 publications

Molecular Detection of Avipoxvirus in Wild Birds in Central Italy

Molecular Detection of Avipoxvirus in Wild Birds in Central Italy

New Insight Into Avian Papillomavirus Ecology and Evolution From Characterization of Novel Wild Bird Papillomaviruses

Implications of bacterial, viral and mycotic microorganisms in vultures for wildlife conservation, ecosystem services and public health

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