Use of avian bornavirus isolates to induce proventricular dilatation disease in conures.
Avian bornavirus (ABV) is a newly discovered member of the family Bornaviridae that has been associated with the development of a lethal neurologic syndrome in birds, termed proventricular dilatation disease (PDD). We successfully isolated and characterized ABV from the brains of 8 birds with confirmed PDD. One isolate was passed 6 times in duck embryo fibroblasts, and the infected cells were then injected intramuscularly into 2 healthy Patagonian conures (Cyanoliseus patagonis). Clinical PDD developed in both birds by 66 days postinfection. PDD was confirmed by necropsy and histopathologic examination. Reverse transcription-PCR showed that the inoculated ABV was in the brains of the 2 infected birds. A control bird that received uninfected tissue culture cells remained healthy until it was euthanized at 77 days. Necropsy and histopathologic examinations showed no abnormalities; PCR did not indicate ABV in its brain tissues.
Gray
Patricia
P
Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843-4467, USA.
Hoppes
Sharman
S
Suchodolski
Paulette
P
Mirhosseini
Negin
N
Payne
Susan
S
Villanueva
Itamar
I
Shivaprasad
H L
HL
Honkavuori
Kirsi S
KS
Lipkin
W Ian
WI
Briese
Thomas
T
Reddy
Sanjay M
SM
Tizard
Ian
I
D000818:Animals; D001715:Bird Diseases / Q000821:virology*; D028981:Bornaviridae / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004108:Dilatation, Pathologic; D004372:Ducks / Q000196:embryology; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000821:virology; D010311:Parrots / Q000821:virology*; D011531:Proventriculus / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000821:virology