Investigation and sequence analysis of avian polyomavirus and psittacine beak and feather disease virus from companion birds in eastern Turkey
Published Online: Oct 15, 2020
Page range: 495 - 501
Received: Apr 24, 2020
Accepted: Sep 30, 2020
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jvetres-2020-0066
Keywords
© 2020 M.C. Adiguzel et al. published by Sciendo
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.
Introduction
Avian polyomavirus (APV) and psittacine beak and feather disease virus (PBFDV) induce contagious and persistent diseases that affect the beaks, feathers, and immune systems of companion birds. APV causes hepatitis, ascites, hydropericardium, depression, feather disorders, abdominal distension, and potentially death. PBFDV can induce progressive beak deformity, feather dystrophy, and plumage loss. We conducted the first prevalence survey of both APV and PBFDV infections in companion birds in eastern Turkey.
Material and Methods
A total of 113 fresh dropping samples from apparently healthy companion birds were collected in a random selection. The dropping samples were analysed for PBFDV and APV by PCR. Positive samples were sequenced with the Sanger method. The sequence was confirmed through alignment and the phylogenetic tree generated through the maximum likelihood method computationally.
Results
PBFDV and APV were detected in a respective 48.7% and 23.0% of samples. Coinfection was found in 12.4% of the samples, these all being from budgerigars (
Conclusion
This report provides a foundation for future studies on the influence of these viruses on the health of companion birds. These high positive rates for both pathogens emphasise that healthy