Pathogenesis of avian bornavirus in experimentally infected cockatiels.
Avian bornavirus (ABV) is the presumed causative agent of proventricular dilatation disease (PDD), a major fatal disease in psittacines. However, the influencing factors and pathogenesis of PDD are not known and natural ABV infection exhibits remarkable variability. We investigated the course of infection in 18 cockatiels that were intracerebrally and intravenously inoculated with ABV. A persistent ABV infection developed in all 18 cockatiels, but, as in natural infection, clinical disease patterns varied. Over 33 weeks, we simultaneously studied seroconversion, presence of viral RNA and antigens, infectious virus, histopathologic alterations, and clinical signs of infection in the ABV-infected birds. Our study results further confirm the etiologic role of ABV in the development of PDD, and they provide basis for further investigations of the pathogenetic mechanisms and disease-inducing factors for the development of PDD.
University Giessen, Giessen, Germany. anne.piepenbring@vetmed.uni-giessen.de
Anne K
AK
Piepenbring
Dirk
D
Enderlein
Sibylle
S
Herzog
Erhard F
EF
Kaleta
Ursula
U
Heffels-Redmann
Saskia
S
Ressmeyer
Christiane
C
Herden
Michael
M
Lierz
D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D001715:Bird Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D028981:Bornaviridae / Q000235:genetics; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D046410:Cockatoos; D005260:Female; D005814:Genes, Viral; D008297:Male; D018701:Mononegavirales Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D011531:Proventriculus / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000378:metabolism; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012867:Skin / Q000821:virology
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D012367:RNA, Viral