Isolation and molecular characterization of Newcastle disease viruses from raptors

Abstract

The present study was undertaken to detect and characterize Newcastle disease virus (NDV) in raptors. Cloacal and oropharyngeal swab samples were collected from 60 casualty raptors during January to March 2009 in Minnesota. Inoculation of all these samples (n=120) in 9-day-old embryonated hens' eggs resulted in isolation of haemagglutinating viruses in three samples from two bald eagles and one great horned owl. These three haemagglutinating viruses were confirmed as NDV by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using fusion gene-specific primers, and were negative for avian influenza virus by RT-PCR. Further characterization revealed that all three possessed (112)GKQGRL(117) at the fusion gene cleavage site, indicating that they were lentogenic strains. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that all three isolates clustered with published class II genotype II NDVs. The nucleotide sequence homology of the three NDV isolates among themselves was 98.4 to 99.6% and the sequence homology with lentogenic strains from wild birds used for comparison varied between 94.5 and 100%. Detection of NDV strains from raptors merits further epidemiological studies to determine the prevalence of different NDV strains in raptors and their impact in relation to transmission to domestic poultry.

Health assessment of raptors in triage in Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil

“…Raptors fed with farm residues or living close to chickens presented a high level of infection (Chu et al, 1976). Lentogenic APMV-1 was also detected in Haliaetus leucocephalus and Bubo virginianus, but not in Accipiter cooperi, Carthartes aura and C. atratus (Jindal et al, 2010). Although most APMV-1 strains endemic in wild birds are lentogenic, deficient biosecurity in poultry facilities may enable challenge with virulent strains (Camenisch et al, 2008).…”

A Review of Pathogen Transmission at the Backyard Chicken–Wild Bird Interface

“…A die-off of reintroduced, endangered whooping cranes (Grus americana) in Florida was attributed to IBDV, serotype 2 (233). Last, a low-virulent NDV strain was isolated from two bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) and one great horned owl (Bubo virginianus) in Minnesota during the winter of 2009 (234).…”

Multidecade Mortality and a Homolog of Hepatitis C Virus in Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), the National Bird of the USA

“…Among 2,980 bald eagle carcasses submitted to the U.S. Geological Survey National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) in Madison, Wisconsin, USA, between 1982 and 2013, only 5.2% of deaths were attributed to infectious diseases 12 . Documented infectious diseases of bald eagles include: ectoparasitoses 18,19 , helminthoses 20–24 , aspergillosis 25 , coccidiosis 26 , toxoplasmosis 27–29 , sarcocystosis 30–32 , leucocytozoonosis 33 , avian malaria 34–36 , avian cholera 37 , mycobacteriosis 38,39 , trichomoniasis 40 , other bacterioses 41–43 , avian pox 44 , herpes 45 , avian influenza 46,47 , Newcastle disease 48 , eastern equine encephalitis 49 , and West Nile encephalitis 15 . However, many of these infections are known from only single cases or case clusters and affected birds often present with comorbidities, such that the importance of infection for bald eagle population health remains unclear.…”