Papillomatosis in chaffinches (Fringilla coelebs) in the Czech Republic and Germany

Abstract

Analyses of ornithological field records, direct observations of typical lesions, and examination by electron microscopy revealed leg papillomatosis in six chaffinches (Fringilla coelebs) in theCzech Republic and one chaffinch inGermany. Papillomavirus was identified by electron microscopy using the negative staining technique in skin lesions of one chaffinch caught in theCzechRepublic. This is the first report of papillomatosis in chaffinches recorded in theCzechRepublic.

Identification and Characterization ofFringilla coelebsPapillomavirus 1 (FcPV1) in Free-living and Captive Birds in Italy

“…Diagnostic investigations excluded a correlation between the skin lesions and the causes of death, which were due to trauma in the two wild birds and enteritis in the captive birds. Macroscopically, the skin lesions were consistently hyperplastic and locally extensive and had proliferative papilloma-like nodules in the foot and tarsus-metatarsus, similar to descriptions of lesions induced by FcPV1 (Lima et al 1973;Literàk et al 2003).…”

“…Leg and foot epithelial proliferative lesions were most commonly described in Chaffinches (Fringilla coelebs) and rarely in related species, such as Bramblings (Fringilla montifringilla; Lina et al 1973). Reports of PV lesions in Chaffinches and Bramblings date back to 1969 (Blackmore and Keymer 1969), but data, including genomic sequences, are available on the strains circulating in the Netherlands and Sweden (Lina et al 1973;Moreno-Lopez et al 1984), the Czech Republic and Germany (Literàk et al 2003), and Portugal and Spain (Perez-Tris et al 2011). We describe infectious leg papillomatosis in captive and free-ranging Chaffinches and Bramblings from Italy, and genetically characterize the FcPV1 strains circulating in Italy.…”

A Multiplex PCR for Detection of Poxvirus and Papillomavirus in Cutaneous Warts from Live Birds and Museum Skins

“…PV infection was detected in all symptomatic chaffinch specimens tested (live and preserved skins). Previous studies have identified PV by electron microscopy in this species in the Czech Republic, Great Britain, Germany, Sweden, and The Netherlands (12,14,15). This paper describes five cases of papillomatosis in chaffinches captured in two archipelagos (Baleares and Madeira).…”

Spatio-temporal dynamics and aetiology of proliferative leg skin lesions in wild British finches

“…Chaffinches with proliferative leg skin lesions associated with papillomavirus infection have been described from multiple countries in western, northern and central Europe, including the Czech Republic, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Sweden and the Netherlands 6 , 10 – 14 . Papillomavirus from similar leg skin lesions has been reported less commonly in wild brambling ( Fringilla montifringilla ), wild bullfinch ( Pyrrhula pyrrhula ) and captive greenfinch ( Chloris chloris ) 2 , 6 , 15 .…”

“…The macroscopic appearance of these proliferative leg skin lesions has been described generally as (squamous) papillomas and wart-like growths and more specifically as nodular or hyperplastic lesions with deeply fissured papillary growths (i.e. papilliferous) 2 , 3 , 14 . Microscopic examination has revealed a variety of abnormalities, including epidermal hyperplasia, papillary projections, hyperkeratosis, keratinocyte vacuolation, acanthosis, enlarged and homogenous epidermal nuclei with the appearance of intranuclear inclusion body formation 2 , 16 , 17 .…”