title: Avihepadnavirus diversity in parrots is comparable to that found amongst all other avian species.
abstract: Avihepadnaviruses have previously been isolated from various species of duck, goose, stork, heron and crane. Recently the first parrot avihepadnavirus was isolated from a Ring-necked Parakeet in Poland. In this study, 41 psittacine liver samples archived in Poland over the last nine years were tested for presence of Parrot hepatitis B virus (PHBV). We cloned and sequenced PHBV isolates from 18 birds including a Crimson Rosella, an African grey parrot and sixteen Ring-necked Parakeets. PHBV isolates display a degree of diversity (>78% genome wide pairwise identity) that is comparable to that found amongst all other avihepadnaviruses (>79% genome wide pairwise identity). The PHBV viruses can be subdivided into seven genetically distinct groups (tentatively named A-G) of which the two isolated of PHBV-G are the most divergent sharing ∼79% genome wide pairwise identity with all their PHBVs. All PHBV isolates display classical avihepadnavirus genome architecture.
authors: Department of Epizootiology with Clinic of Birds and Exotic Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, 50-360 Wrocław, Poland.
authors: Tomasz
authors: T
authors: Piasecki
authors: Gordon W
authors: GW
authors: Harkins
authors: Klaudia
authors: K
authors: Chrząstek
authors: Laurel
authors: L
authors: Julian
authors: Darren P
authors: DP
authors: Martin
authors: Arvind
authors: A
authors: Varsani
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017917:Avihepadnavirus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001483:Base Sequence; D001715:Bird Diseases / Q000821:virology*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics*; D014644:Genetic Variation; D016679:Genome, Viral; D018347:Hepadnaviridae Infections / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D010240:Parakeets / Q000821:virology; D010311:Parrots / Q000821:virology*; D010802:Phylogeny; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral