Pathogenesis and Transmissibility of Highly- and Low-pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus Infection in Common Quail (Coturnix coturnix)

Pathobiology of avian influenza virus infection in minor gallinaceous species: a review

“…On the contrary, partridges of the Chukar (Humberd et al, 2006) and red-legged (Bertran et al, 2011) subspecies may not be reservoirs for LPAIVs, since these birds are short-term shedders of such AIVs and replication might be limited to the respiratory tract. Linked to the ability to shed viable virus in sufficient amounts and duration, viral transmission among birds has been confirmed in all of the mentioned species except from the R. partridge, not only with avian-origin but also with humanorigin and swine-origin influenza viruses (Alexander et al, 1986;Makarova et al, 2003;Perez et al, 2003a, b;Humberd et al, 2006Humberd et al, , 2007Thontiravong et al, 2012a;Bonfante et al, 2013;Bertran et al, 2013). Based on viral shedding patterns, viral transmission among game fowl may occur through the oral-oral route, as some authors have already pointed out (Kobayashi et al, 1996;Makarova et al, 2003;Brown et al, 2006;Capua & Alexander, 2006;Jeong et al, 2009;Saito et al, 2009).…”

“…Nevertheless, it is worth pointing out that such severe neurological signs are distinctive of HPAIVs, and thus LP traits of this particular AIV affecting P. guinea fowl should be confirmed. Indeed, under experimental conditions, LPAIVs do not typically cause morbidity or mortality in gallinaceous birds (Alexander et al, 1986;Makarova et al, 2003;Perez et al, 2003a,b;Humberd et al, 2006Humberd et al, , 2007Bertran et al, 2011Bertran et al, , 2013Thontiravong et al, 2012a;). Nonetheless, some subtypes such as H9N2 or H10 may result in non-specific clinical signs including decreased activity, ruffled feathers, coughing and sneezing, diarrhoea, and fall in egg production as reported in J. quail (Makarova et al, 2003;Lavoie et al, 2007;Nili et al, 2007;Ebrahimi et al, 2011;Bonfante et al, 2013) and C. partridge (Nili et al, 2013).…”

“…Probably due to the infrequent clinical signs observed, few studies have assessed the histopathological changes caused by LPAIV in minor gallinaceous poultry (Nili et al, 2007(Nili et al, , 2013Bertran et al, 2011Bertran et al, , 2013Thontiravong et al, 2012b). Among such studies, R. partridges and E. quail lacked gross and microscopic lesions when inoculated intranasally with H7N9 and H7N2 LPAIVs, respectively (Bertran et al, 2011(Bertran et al, , 2013. On the contrary, J. quail inoculated with a duck-origin H3N2 LPAIV had mild nasal discharge at necropsy and congestion of the lung and duodenum, the former throughout the 7-day-long experiment and the latter only on 7 days post inoculation (dpi) (Thontiravong et al, 2012b).…”

“…However, differences in viral shedding effectiveness have been observed among species and for different viruses. Therefore, J. quail (Makarova et al, 2003;Bonfante et al, 2013), E. quail (Bertran et al, 2013), and R. pheasants (Humberd et al, 2006(Humberd et al, , 2007 are recognized as efficient shedders of LPAIV, especially by the oral route but occasionally also by the cloacal route. In particular, inoculation of LPAIV representing subtypes H1 to H15 proved that J. quail may support the replication (predominantly in the respiratory tract) of almost all of them (Makarova et al, 2003).…”

“…First, clinical signs are normally non-specific and include anorexia, lethargy, and ruffled feathers (Perkins & Swayne, 2001;Mutinelli et al, 2003;Jeong et al, 2009;Bertran et al, 2011Bertran et al, , 2013. Infection typically progresses towards neurologic signs described as: motor function alterations, such as paresis to paralysis of legs and wings, inability to stand, loss of balance and recumbency with pedalling movements, incoordination, and flapping movements of the wings; and vestibular alterations as indicated by torticollis, nystagmus, head tilt, tremors of head and neck, convulsions, opisthotonus, and circling movements (Perkins & Swayne, 2001;Mutinelli et al, 2003;Isoda et al, 2006;Bertran et al, 2011Bertran et al, , 2013. Finally, death may be the result of neurologic dysfunction alongside multiorgan failure (Perkins & Swayne, 2001;Bertran et al, 2011Bertran et al, , 2013.…”