Prevalence and Phylogeny of Coronaviruses in Wild Birds from the Bering Strait Area (Beringia)

Abstract

Coronaviruses (CoVs) can cause mild to severe disease in humans and animals, their host range and environmental spread seem to have been largely underestimated, and they are currently being investigated for their potential medical relevance. Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) belongs to gamma-coronaviruses and causes a costly respiratory viral disease in chickens. The role of wild birds in the epidemiology of IBV is poorly understood. In the present study, we examined 1,002 cloacal and faecal samples collected from 26 wild bird species in the Beringia area for the presence of CoVs, and then we performed statistical and phylogenetic analyses. We detected diverse CoVs by RT-PCR in wild birds in the Beringia area. Sequence analysis showed that the detected viruses are gamma-coronaviruses related to IBV. These findings suggest that wild birds are able to carry gamma-coronaviruses asymptomatically. We concluded that CoVs are widespread among wild birds in Beringia, and their geographic spread and frequency is higher than previously realised. Thus, Avian CoV can be efficiently disseminated over large distances and could be a genetic reservoir for future emerging pathogenic CoVs. Considering the great animal health and economic impact of IBV as well as the recent emergence of novel coronaviruses such as SARS-coronavirus, it is important to investigate the role of wildlife reservoirs in CoV infection biology and epidemiology.

Identification and Survey of a Novel Avian Coronavirus in Ducks

“…For example, the clades or subclades identified to be specific to some chicken IBVs in Australia (Clade 2), to some chicken IBVs in Taiwan (Subclade 1.2), to some pigeon CoVs in Norway (Clade 3), or to some goose CoVs in Norway (Clade 5), also belonged to separate phylogenies, indicated by previous reports [28], [31], [33], .…”

“…However, it remains unknown whether the CoVs from pintails, sandpipers and gulls belong to the same potential novel species along with DK2012-CoV, due to that sequences of only one region in the genomes were available for these wild water fowl viruses. The previous report has indicated that the phylogeny covering DK2012-CoV were prevalent in wild water fowls in the Bering Strait Area [31].…”

“…An interesting study on the prevalence and phylogeny of CoVs in wild birds has been reported also targeting the 1b3 region [31]. Consequently, sequences of the 1b3 region, rather than of the 1b1 and 1b2 regions, of multiple species of wild birds were available in GenBank.…”

Absence of Coronaviruses, Paramyxoviruses, and Influenza A Viruses in Seabirds in the Southwestern Indian Ocean

“…Coronaviruses (COV), paramyxoviruses (PMV), and influenza A viruses (IAV) have been detected in a large diversity of wild bird species (e.g., Stallknecht and Shane, 1988;Coffee et al, 2010;Muradrasoli et al, 2010). In seabirds, COV, PMV, and IAV infections are commonly reported in species in the order Charadriiformes (gulls, terns, shorebirds).…”

Reservoirs and vectors of emerging viruses

“…Furthermore, phylogenetic association of CoVs with host species/genus was particularly evident in allopatric populations separated by significant geographical distances [49]. A similar diversity of coronaviruses has also been found in birds, comprising the gamma-coronaviruses [53], and a new genus, the deltacoronaviruses recently described with viruses from birds and pigs [54].…”