Abstract
Pigeon circovirus (PiCV) infects pigeon populations worldwide and has been associated with immunosuppression in younger pigeons. Recombination is a common mechanism of evolution that has previously been shown in various members of the Circoviridae family, including PiCV. In this study, three groups of pigeons acquired from separate lofts were screened for PiCV, and their genome sequence was determined. Following this, they were housed in a single loft for 22 days, during which blood and cloacal swab samples were taken. From these blood and cloacal swabs, PiCV genomes were determined with the aim to study the spread and recombination dynamics of PiCV in the birds. Genome sequences of PiCV were determined from seven pigeons (seven tested PiCV positive) before they were housed together in a loft (n = 58 sequences) and thereafter from the ten pigeons from blood and cloacal swabs (n = 120). These 178 PiCV genome sequences represent seven genotypes (98% pairwise identity genotype demarcation), and they share >88% genome-wide pairwise identity. Recombination analysis revealed 13 recombination events, and a recombination hotspot spanning the 3′ prime region, the replication-associated protein (rep) gene and the intergenic region. A cold spot in the capsid protein-coding region of the genome was also identified. The majority of the recombinant regions were identified in the rep coding region. This study provides insights into the evolutionary dynamics of PiCV in pigeons kept under closed rearing systems.
Highlights
The domestic pigeon (Columba livia f. domestica), a species in the Columbidae family, is strongly associated with larger human populations [1]
We investigate the recombination dynamics of Pigeon circovirus (PiCV) in young domesticated pigeons sourced from different facilities and housed in a common loft
Ten birds were purchased from three different lofts, and blood samples were collected from each animal. Thereafter, they were all housed in a single loft for 22 days, and blood and cloacal swab samples were collected as summarized in Figures 1 and 2
Summary
The domestic pigeon (Columba livia f. domestica), a species in the Columbidae family, is strongly associated with larger human populations [1]. Wild ancestors of domestic pigeons—the rock pigeon (Columba livia) can flock in groups of up to 400 individuals, and their range can span several kilometers. Similar behavior of living in groups is observed in the feral domestic pigeon population inhabiting cities around the world, which are referred to as urban pigeons [2]. The practice of joint feeding and watering birds from disparate lofts is a standard procedure and can create ideal conditions for the transmission and long-distance dissemination of various pathogens, especially viruses [10]. Multiple viruses have been associated and shown to infect pigeons, including those in the families Adenoviridae, Anelloviridae, Circoviridae, Herpesviridae, Paramyxoviruses, Parvoviridae, Picornaviridae and Reoviridae [11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18]
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