High Prevalence of Novel Beak and Feather Disease Virus in Sympatric Invasive Parakeets Introduced to Spain From Asia and South America

Francisco Morinha,Guillermo Blanco,José L Tella,Martina Carrete

doi:10.3390/d12050192

Abstract

The psittacine beak and feather disease (PBFD) is a globally widespread infectious bird disease that mainly affects species within the Order Psittaciformes (parrots and allies). The disease is caused by an avian circovirus (the beak and feather disease virus, BFDV), which is highly infectious and can lead to severe consequences in wild and captive populations during an outbreak. Both legal and illegal trading have spread the BFDV around the world, although little is known about its prevalence in invasive parrot populations. Here, we analyze the BFDV prevalence in sympatric invasive populations of rose-ringed (Psittacula krameri) and monk parakeets (Myiopsitta monachus) in Southern Spain. We PCR-screened 110 blood samples (55 individuals from each species) for BFDV and characterized the genotypes of five positives from each species. About 33% of rose-ringed parakeets and 37% of monk parakeets sampled were positive for BFDV, while neither species showed disease symptoms. The circovirus identified is a novel BFDV genotype common to both species, similar to the BFDV genotypes detected in several parrot species kept in captivity in Saudi Arabia, South Africa and China. Our data evidences the importance of an accurate evaluation of avian diseases in wild populations, since invasive parrots may be bringing BFDV without showing any visually detectable clinical sign. Further research on the BFDV prevalence and transmission (individual–individual, captive–wild and wild–captive) in different bird orders and countries is crucial to understand the dynamics of the viral infection and minimize its impact in captive and wild populations.

Highlights

Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease (PBFD) is one of the most relevant infectious diseases affecting wild and captive parrot species [1,2]
Our analysis indicates that the novel genotype differed by nine to 13 nucleotide substitutions with the most similar genotypes among all Beak and FeatherDisease Virus (BFDV) sequences described to date for different psittacine species (Figure 1)
The phylogeny of the rep sequences isolated from P. krameri in various countries supports the proximity of the BFDV genotypes isolated from wild individuals in an invasive population in Spain with captive individuals in Saudi Arabia, which share an ancestor with the two genotypes detected in captive individuals in Poland (Figure 2)

Summary

Introduction

Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease (PBFD) is one of the most relevant infectious diseases affecting wild and captive parrot species [1,2]. This disease is caused by the Beak and Feather. The prevalence of BFDV is high in native parrots of Oceania, Africa and Asia [5], including wild populations of some threatened species [6,7,8,9]. A screening conducted on captive individuals seized from illegal trade in Brazil showed evidence of BFDV at low prevalence in two native species [10].

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Discussion

Conclusion