Abstract
The transmission of pathogens to native species has been highlighted as one of the most important impacts of biological invasions. In this study, we evaluated the presence of psittacine beak and feather disease virus (BFDV) and other circoviruses in native bird species cohabiting with invasive populations of wild rose-ringed (Psittacula krameri) and monk parakeets (Myiopsitta monachus) that were found positive for a particular BFDV genotype in Sevilla, southern Spain. None of the 290 individuals from the 18 native bird species captured showed typical signs of disease caused by BFDV. A sample of 79 individuals from 15 native species showed negative results for the presence of the BFDV genotype previously detected in the sympatric invasive parakeets, as well as any other of the circoviruses tested. Although preliminary, this study suggests a lack of circovirus transmission from invasive parakeets to native birds at the study site. Further research is needed to determine if this apparent absence in transmission depends on the BFDV genotype present in the parakeets, which requires additional screening in other invasive and native populations living in sympatry.
Highlights
Biological invasions represent one of the main threats to biodiversity on a global scale [1]
The beak and feather disease virus (BFDV), an avian circovirus, has mainly been detected in psittacine species, and less frequently in non-psittacine species of several orders in their native ranges, which has been attributed to transmission from native psittacines living in sympatry [10,13]
A sample of individuals from 15 of these native species showed negative results for the presence of the BFDV genotype previously detected in invasive parakeets living in sympatry in the same urban area of Seville [17], as well as for any other of the tested circoviruses
Summary
Biological invasions represent one of the main threats to biodiversity on a global scale [1]. The introduction of pathogens transmitted from invasive to native species has been recurrently highlighted as one of the most important impacts of these invasions [2,3]. This threat occurs as a consequence of the lack of prior contact between the pathogens of the invasive species and the novel native hosts, which means that the latter have not been able to develop an adequate immune response against previously unknown pathogens [4]. The beak and feather disease virus (BFDV), an avian circovirus (family Circoviridae), has mainly been detected in psittacine species, and less frequently in non-psittacine species of several orders in their native ranges, which has been attributed to transmission from native psittacines living in sympatry [10,13].
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