In Vitro and In Vivo Characterization of a Pigeon Paramyxovirus Type 1 Isolated from Domestic Pigeons in Victoria, Australia 2011.

Songhua Shan,David Williams,Jianning Wang,Frank Wong,Sam Mccullough,Deborah Middleton,Dayna Johnson,Kim O’Riley,Jemma Bergfeld,Kerri Bruce,Vittoria Stevens

doi:10.3390/v13030429

Abstract

Significant mortalities of racing pigeons occurred in Australia in late 2011 associated with a pigeon paramyxovirus serotype 1 (PPMV-1) infection. The causative agent, designated APMV-1/pigeon/Australia/3/2011 (P/Aus/3/11), was isolated from diagnostic specimens in specific pathogen free (SPF) embryonated eggs and was identified by a Newcastle Disease virus (NDV)-specific RT-PCR and haemagglutination inhibition (HI) test using reference polyclonal antiserum specific for NDV. The P/Aus/3/11 strain was further classified as PPMV-1 using the HI test and monoclonal antibody 617/161 by HI and phylogenetic analysis of the fusion gene sequence. The isolate P/Aus/3/11 had a slow haemagglutin-elution rate and was inactivated within 45 min at 56 °C. Cross HI tests generated an R value of 0.25, indicating a significant antigenic difference between P/Aus/3/11 and NDV V4 isolates. The mean death time (MDT) of SPF eggs infected with the P/Aus/3/11 isolate was 89.2 hr, characteristic of a mesogenic pathotype, consistent with other PPMV-1 strains. The plaque size of the P/Aus/3/11 isolate on chicken embryo fibroblast (CEF) cells was smaller than those of mesogenic and velogenic NDV reference strains, indicating a lower virulence phenotype in vitro and challenge of six-week-old SPF chickens did not induce clinical signs. However, sequence analysis of the fusion protein cleavage site demonstrated an 112RRQKRF117 motif, which is typical of a velogenic NDV pathotype. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the P/Aus/3/11 isolate belongs to a distinct subgenotype within class II genotype VI of avian paramyxovirus type 1. This is the first time this genotype has been detected in Australia causing disease in domestic pigeons and is the first time since 2002 that an NDV with potential for virulence has been detected in Australia.

Highlights

Newcastle disease (ND) is one of the most important transboundary viral diseases of poultry and wild birds worldwide
The P/Aus/3/11 isolate was inhibited by polyclonal antiserum to Newcastle Disease virus (NDV) V4, but not avian influenza (AI) or other avian paramyxovirus reference sera
The last outbreaks of Newcastle disease in Australia occurred from 1998–2002, in which virulent ND viruses were found to evolve from endemic, less virulent, lentogenic strains [34]

Summary

Introduction

Newcastle disease (ND) is one of the most important transboundary viral diseases of poultry and wild birds worldwide. The causative agent, avian orthoavulavirus 1, known as avian paramyxovirus serotype 1 (APMV-1) and Newcastle disease virus (NDV), has an enveloped virion with a non-segmented, single-stranded, negative-sense RNA genome, and belongs to the genus Orthoavulavirus of the Paramyxoviridae family [1]. The amino acid sequence at the protease cleavage site of the fusion protein is known to be a major determinant of NDV virulence [3]. NDV has been reported to infect over 200 species of birds, but the severity of disease varies with both host (species, age and immune status) and virus strain (pathotype, dosage and route of infection) [4,5,6]. Class II viruses comprise the vast majority of the sequenced NDVs, including viruses virulent for poultry across 21 genotypes [10]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion