Prevalence of pigeon rotavirus infections: animal exhibitions as a risk factor for pigeon flocks
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Prevalence of pigeon rotavirus infections: animal exhibitions as a risk factor for pigeon flocks Maxi Harzer1 · Kristin Heenemann1 · Michael Sieg1 · Thomas Vahlenkamp1 · Markus Freick2 · Antje Rückner1 Received: 4 May 2020 / Accepted: 2 September 2020 © The Author(s) 2020
Abstract A total of 289 cloacal swabs from pigeons from 29 different breeders in Germany were collected. In addition, samples from pigeons exhibited at shows were collected. The detailed health status of the pigeon flocks was recorded. Samples were analysed for the presence of the recently discovered pigeon rotavirus and pigeon circovirus. Pigeon rotavirus was found in 10.3% and pigeon circoviruses was found in 65.5% of sampled pigeon lofts. The study revealed a strong relationship between the attendance of shows and the occurrence of different clinical signs. The higher prevalence of pigeon rotavirus in exhibited animals indicates that exhibitions are a risk factor for the transmission of this pathogen.
Introduction In 2016, a disease of unknown origin emerged in Australian racing pigeons, resulting in a loss of performance and high mortality rates due to hepatitis. Further investigations revealed that the disease was associated with a novel avian rotavirus [1]. Members of the genus Rotavirus, family Reoviridae, are non-enveloped, segmented RNA viruses. Infections cause acute viral gastroenteritis in humans, as well as in other mammalian and avian species [2]. Rotaviruses are classified into nine species (A to D, F to J) based on the antigenicity of the outer capsid protein VP6 [3]. Members of the rotavirus species A, D, F and G have been found in poultry [2]. Infections are usually restricted to the gastrointestinal tract and are self-limiting, although fatalities can occur as a result of dehydration, especially in younger animals. In contrast, the newly described pigeon‐associated clade of Handling Editor: Reimar Johne. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s00705-020-04834-w) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. * Maxi Harzer [email protected]‑leipzig.de 1
Center for Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Virology, Leipzig University, An den Tierkliniken 29, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
Faculty of Agriculture/Environment/Chemistry, HTW Dresden-University of Applied Sciences, Dresden, Germany
2
rotavirus A (RVA) has been shown to cause systemic infections [4], resulting in clinical signs such as apathy, fluffy plumage, inappetence, emesis, stowed crop, emaciation, and diarrhoea [1, 4, 5]. So far, viruses of this clade have only been detected in pigeons. Recently, an infection study fulfilled Henle-Koch’s postulates and confirmed pigeon RVA genotype G18P[17] to be primary cause of young pigeon disease syndrome (YPDS)-like diseases in domestic pigeons [5]. Furthermore, it is supposed that the pigeon circovirus (PiCV), a member of the genus Circovirus, family Circoviridae, contributes to outbreak
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