Occurrence and phylogenetic analysis of avipoxvirus isolated from birds around Jammu

Abstract

Domesticated fowls, pigeons and turkey birds were screened for avipoxvirus infection from different areas in Jammu region. Based on typical pox lesions the overall occurrence in fowl was found to be 18.52%, 17.03% in pigeons and 57.14% in turkeys. Mortality recorded in chicks was 41.96%, 45.36% in squabs, 100% in poults, and 20.00% in adult turkeys. Both cutaneous and diphtheritic forms of the disease was observed of which the latter was particularly prevalent in young birds. One sample of putative fowlpox virus (FWPV) from skin lesions of a fowl, and two samples of putative pigeonpox virus (PGPV) from skin and diphtheritic lesions each were inoculated on chorio-allantoic membrane (CAM) of 10-12 days old chicken embryonated eggs. A confirmatory diagnosis was made by PCR amplification of a highly conserved P4b gene locus detected in tissue samples from skin, diphtheritic membrane and virus inoculated CAM yielding a predicted 578 bp product. Phylogenetic analysis based on the same P4b gene locus revealed FWPV and turkeypox virus (TKPV) to be 99% related and belonging to clade 1, while PGPV was found to belong to clade 2. All three isolates illustrate considerable heterogeneity within the conserved P4b gene locus. The study indicates that the closely related FWPV and TKPV isolates may have the potential of cross infection between fowls and turkeys and therefore cross transmission studies are suggested.

The emergence of subclades A1 and A3 avipoxviruses in India

“…Our study revealed that the morbidity/mortality percentage in APV infections is similar to the previous reports, in which, rates were found to be more than 50% (Ivanov, Kril, & Sainova, ; Skinner, ; Tripathy, ). However, our results differed from the recently studied avipox outbreak, in which the percentages varied from 17% to 18% and 41 to 45%, respectively (Sharma et al, ). The difference in severity may be due to the presence of higher chicks or squabs population (0‐8W) within the study group (Pathak, ; Pathak, Goswami, Sharma, & Mukit, ).…”

Pathology of Avipoxvirus Isolates in Chicken Embryonated Eggs

“…Out of various field samples, one each of FWPV and PGPV were adopted (in triplicate) on CAM through three passage levels. The isolates have been earlier verified by partial amplification of P4b gene and confirmed as FWPV and PGPV by alignment with published sequences (Sharma et al, 2019). The eggs were candled daily and opened on 5 d.p.i.…”

“…In our laboratory, domesticated fowls, pigeons and turkey birds were screened for avipoxvirus infection from different areas in Jammu region, India, and on the basis of the phylogenetic analysis of the partial P4b gene sequences, three different isolates were identified as Fowlpox virus (FWPV), Pigeonpox virus (PGPV) and Turkeypox virus (TKPV) respectively (Sharma et al, 2019); and it was also found that the FWPV and TKPV were phylogenetically 99% related within clade 1, while PGPV was found to belong to clade 2. Since differences in CPE on CAM by different Avipoxviruses (APV) have been earlier reported (Manarolla et al, 2010;Abdallah and Hassanin, 2013;Offerman et al, 2013) it was proposed to attempt isolation of the viruses on CEE.…”

Genome-wide identification and characterization of microsatellite markers within the Avipoxviruses

“…Once introduced to a new geographic area, APV can quickly spread among individuals lacking proper husbandry practices and elevated stocking densities that lead to close contact with infected and susceptible individuals. As continuously, the outbreak of APV is being reported from India in different birds from diverse geographical regions for decades (Pawar et al 2011;Sahu et al 2020;Sharma et al 2019).…”