Abstract
Pigeon paramyxovirus type 1 (PPMV-1) infection causes high morbidity in pigeons, resulting in a significant burden to the poultry industry. In this study, we isolated three PPMV-1 strains from diseased pigeons collected in Guangdong Province, South China, from June 2017 to April 2019. Genetic analysis revealed that these three PPMV-1 strains and most of the PPMV-1 strains isolated from China after 2011 were clustered into sub-genotype VI.2.1.1.2.2. Our Bayesian analysis revealed that the VI.2.1.1.2.2 viruses might have originated in Europe. Phylogeographic analyses revealed that East and South China might have played a key role in seeding the VI.2.1.1.2.2 PPMV-1 epidemic in China. To characterize the effect of age at infection on the outcome of PPMV-1 infection in pigeons, we investigated the pathogenesis and transmission of the pigeon/Guangdong/GZ08/2017 (GZ08) virus in 3-, 6-, and 12-week-old pigeons. Two of six 12-week-old pigeons inoculated with GZ08 survived, and all of the 3- and 6-week-pigeons inoculated with GZ08 died. Moreover, the GZ08 virus could be transmitted to 3-, 6-, and 12-week-old naïve contact pigeons. The lethality of the GZ08 virus through contact with 3-, 6-, and 12-week-old pigeons was 100%, 66.7%, and 0%, respectively, suggesting that the transmissibility of the GZ08 virus was stronger in young pigeons. These findings demonstrated that East and South China was the epicenter for dissemination of VI.2.1.1.2.2 PPMV-1, and age at infection has an impact on the outcome of PPMV-1 infection in pigeons.
Highlights
Newcastle disease (ND) is a worldwide infectious disease that causes significant economic losses to the poultry industry
Since Pigeon paramyxovirus type 1 (PPMV-1) was first identified in China in 1985 [15], PPMV-1 infection remains enzootic in pigeons despite vaccination, such as LaSota, leading to a degree of economic loss [17,38]
Hicks and his coworkers used the tip swap analysis to assess the impact of sampling on the estimated viral diffusion patterns of avian paramyxovirus-1 and found that the sample was biased toward the presence of earlier sequences within the dataset [40]
Summary
Newcastle disease (ND) is a worldwide infectious disease that causes significant economic losses to the poultry industry. Genotype VI NDVs, referred to as pigeon paramyxovirus type 1 (PPMV-1) viruses, are variant strains of NDV associated with infections of Columbiformes, including wild and domestic pigeons and doves. Most PPMV-1 strains are nonpathogenic to chickens, they can cause high morbidity and mortality in pigeons, leading to a degree of economic loss. The disease induced by PPMV-1 in pigeons was first confirmed in China in 1985 [15]. 2-month-old pigeons [21], and 80% in 4-week-old pigeons [13] These findings indicated that the pathogenicity of PPMV-1 in pigeons may be closely related to age. We isolated three PPMV-1 strains from diseased pigeons collected in Guangdong Province, from June 2017 to April 2019, and investigated the prevalence, molecular evolution, and phylogeography of these viruses. We characterized the effect of age at infection on the outcome of PPMV-1 infection in pigeons and analyzed the antigenic variation between epidemical PPMV-1 in South China and the commercial vaccine LaSota strain
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