Detection and molecular characterization of infectious bronchitis-like viruses in wild bird populations

• Published in: Avian pathology Vol. 43; no. 5; pp. 406 - 413
• Main Authors: Domanska-Blicharz, Katarzyna, Jacukowicz, Anna, Lisowska, Anna, Wyrostek, Krzysztof, Minta, Zenon
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Taylor & Francis 03-09-2014; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Animal diseases; Animal populations; Animals; Animals, Wild; Anseriformes; autumn; Aves; Bird Diseases - epidemiology; Bird Diseases - virology; Birds; Charadriiformes; Coronavirinae; Coronavirus; Coronavirus Infections - epidemiology; Coronavirus Infections - veterinary; Coronavirus Infections - virology; Galliformes; Genes; infectious bronchitis; Infectious bronchitis virus - genetics; Phylogenetics; Phylogeny; Poland - epidemiology; Population Surveillance; RNA, Viral - genetics; RNA, Viral - metabolism; spring; Time; topology; Viruses; wild birds; Wildfowl; Poland; Massachusetts
• ISSN: 1465-3338; 0307-9457; 1465-3338
• DOI: 10.1080/03079457.2014.949619

We examined 884 wild birds mainly from the Anseriformes , Charadriiformes and Galliformes orders for infectious bronchitis (IBV)-like coronavirus in Poland between 2008 and 2011. Coronavirus was detected in 31 (3.5%) of the tested birds, with detection rates of 3.5% in Anseriformes and 2.3% in Charadriiformes and as high as 17.6% in Galliformes . From the 31 positive samples, only 10 gave positive results in molecular tests aimed at various IBV genome fragments: five samples were positive for the RdRp gene, four for gene 3, eight for gene N and eight for the 3 ′ -untranslated region fragment. All analysed genome fragments of the coronavirus strains shared different evolutionary branches, resulting in a different phylogenetic tree topology. Most detected fragment genes seem to be IBV-like genes of the most frequently detected lineages of IBV in this geographical region (i.e. Massachusetts, 793B and QX). Two waves of coronavirus infections were identified: one in spring (April and May) and another in late autumn (October to December). To our knowledge this is the first report of the detection of different fragment IBV-like genes in wild bird populations.