Lymphoproliferative Disease Virus in Wild Turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) from Manitoba and Quebec, Canada

Active and passive disease surveillance in wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) from 2008 to 2018 in Pennsylvania, USA

“…A high prevalence of infection with LPDV and H. gallinarum was detected in wild turkeys in Pennsylvania and is consistent with results from wild turkeys throughout the eastern United States and Canada (Allison et al 2014, Alger et al 2017, MacDonald et al 2019a. As described above, our data provide perspective to the increasing, but relatively rare, reports of wild turkeys with lymphoproliferative disease.…”

“…To further investigate LPDV, multiple active surveillance projects were initiated throughout eastern North America (Allison et al 2014, Alger et al 2017). The results were consistent among studies, which indicated a high prevalence of LPDV infection among wild turkeys in North America, even in birds that were in apparent good health (Thomas et al 2015, Alger et al 2017, MacDonald et al 2019a). Collectively, passive and active surveillance data defined the existing epidemiology of LPDV in wild turkeys; many turkeys are infected but only a small subset develops lymphoid tumors and associated clinical disease.…”

Lymphoproliferative Disease Virus and Reticuloendotheliosis Virus Detection and Disease in Wild Turkeys (Meleagris Gallopavo)

“…Two oncogenic avian retroviruses, lymphoproliferative disease virus (LPDV) and reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV), have varied virulence with subclinical to fatal outcomes (Allison et al 2014;Thomas et al 2015). Detections of LPDV are widespread in Wild Turkeys, including in Ontario, Manitoba, and Quebec, Canada; the eastern US; and historically in domestic turkeys in Israel and England (Ianconescu et al 1972;Biggs et al 1978;Thomas et al 2015;Alger et al 2017;MacDonald et al 2019aMacDonald et al , 2019bCox et al 2022;Shea et al 2022). Lymphoproliferative disease virus infection may lead to immunosuppression and cachexia concurrent with lymphoid neoplasia, which may predispose birds to severe secondary infections (Niedringhaus et al 2019) and has been associated with mortality in Wild Turkeys (Allison et al 2014).…”

Detecting lymphoproliferative disease virus in wild turkeys using cloacal swabs

“…The pathogen was first detected in domestic turkeys in Europe and Israel, often resulting in flock mortality >20% (Biggs et al 1978, Gazit and Yaniv 1999), and the pathogen has been shown to be capable of infecting chickens in experimental settings (Ianconescu et al 1983). In 2009, LPDV proviral DNA was first identified in a wild turkey in the United States, and subsequent surveys revealed a high prevalence (26–83% by state) and broad distribution across the eastern United States (Allison et al 2014, Thomas et al 2015, Alger et al 2017), and Canada (MacDonald et al 2019 a , b ). Although surveillance of hunter‐harvested wild turkeys suggested 100% of LPDV‐infected turkeys may be outwardly asymptomatic (Thomas et al 2015), other studies have reported neoplastic lesions in ~15% of clinically‐ill birds infected with LPDV (Allison et al 2014).…”

“…Although surveillance of hunter‐harvested wild turkeys suggested 100% of LPDV‐infected turkeys may be outwardly asymptomatic (Thomas et al 2015), other studies have reported neoplastic lesions in ~15% of clinically‐ill birds infected with LPDV (Allison et al 2014). However, co‐infection of LPDV with other pathogens was also reported (Allison et al 2014, MacDonald et al 2019 a , b ), raising concerns that LPDV infection may increase susceptibility to other pathogens and induce subsequent disease symptoms. The host range of LPDV within North America is still under investigation as it has not been detected in other upland game bird species or domestic fowl (MacDonald et al 2019 b ), and the potential for spillover (i.e., transmission from one species to another) remains unknown.…”