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12 January 2024 Surveillance for Avian Bornavirus in Colorado and Wyoming, USA, Raptor Populations
Jayne S. Ellis, Branson W. Ritchie, Brittany McHale, Sangeeta Rao, Miranda J. Sadar
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Abstract

Avian bornavirus (ABV) is known to infect at least 80 avian species and is associated with avian bornaviral ganglioneuritis (ABG). Avian bornaviral ganglioneuritis is characterized by a lymphoplasmacytic infiltration of the nervous tissue, mainly affecting the nerves that supply the gastrointestinal tract of birds. This disease is diagnosed commonly in psittacines under human care and has been demonstrated in wild bird species; however, its occurrence in raptors is largely unknown. Because of the commonality of ABV in the pet bird population, there is concern about the spread of this virus to other companion avian species, such as falconry birds, as well as wildlife. This prospective study used reverse-transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) to survey free-ranging Colorado and Wyoming, US, raptor populations for ABV. Quantitative PCR was performed on mixed conjunctival-choanal-cloacal swabs collected from live birds (n=139). In dead birds, a combination of mixed swabs (n=265) and tissue samples of the brain (n=258), heart (n=162), adrenal glands (n=162), liver (n=162), kidney (n=139), spinal cord (n=139), and brachial plexus (n=139) were evaluated. All 1,565 swab and tissue samples RT-qPCR results from the 404 birds evaluated were negative. Based on these results and a lack of clinical signs suggestive of ABG, ABV is likely not a prevalent pathogen in Colorado and Wyoming raptor populations at this time.

Jayne S. Ellis, Branson W. Ritchie, Brittany McHale, Sangeeta Rao, and Miranda J. Sadar "Surveillance for Avian Bornavirus in Colorado and Wyoming, USA, Raptor Populations," Journal of Wildlife Diseases 60(1), 164-167, (12 January 2024). https://doi.org/10.7589/JWD-D-22-00118
Received: 7 September 2022; Accepted: 18 August 2023; Published: 12 January 2024
KEYWORDS
Avian bornaviral ganglioneuritis
avian bornavirus
PCR
raptor
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