Novel Picornavirus Associated with Avian Keratin Disorder in Alaskan Birds

ABSTRACT Avian keratin disorder (AKD), characterized by debilitating overgrowth of the avian beak, was first documented in black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) in Alaska. Subsequently, similar deformities have appeared in numerous species across continents. Despite the widespread distribut...

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Autores principales:	Maxine Zylberberg, Caroline Van Hemert, John P. Dumbacher, Colleen M. Handel, Tarik Tihan, Joseph L. DeRisi
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	American Society for Microbiology 2016
Materias:	Microbiology QR1-502
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/466616d83e714ae081e320e226f43063
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:466616d83e714ae081e320e226f430632021-11-15T15:50:18ZNovel Picornavirus Associated with Avian Keratin Disorder in Alaskan Birds10.1128/mBio.00874-162150-7511https://doaj.org/article/466616d83e714ae081e320e226f430632016-09-01T00:00:00Zhttps://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/mBio.00874-16https://doaj.org/toc/2150-7511ABSTRACT Avian keratin disorder (AKD), characterized by debilitating overgrowth of the avian beak, was first documented in black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) in Alaska. Subsequently, similar deformities have appeared in numerous species across continents. Despite the widespread distribution of this emerging pathology, the cause of AKD remains elusive. As a result, it is unknown whether suspected cases of AKD in the afflicted species are causally linked, and the impacts of this pathology at the population and community levels are difficult to evaluate. We applied unbiased, metagenomic next-generation sequencing to search for candidate pathogens in birds affected with AKD. We identified and sequenced the complete coding region of a novel picornavirus, which we are calling poecivirus. Subsequent screening of 19 AKD-affected black-capped chickadees and 9 control individuals for the presence of poecivirus revealed that 19/19 (100%) AKD-affected individuals were positive, while only 2/9 (22%) control individuals were infected with poecivirus. Two northwestern crows (Corvus caurinus) and two red-breasted nuthatches (Sitta canadensis) with AKD-consistent pathology also tested positive for poecivirus. We suggest that poecivirus is a candidate etiological agent of AKD. IMPORTANCE Avian keratin disorder (AKD) is an increasingly common disease of wild birds. This disease, characterized by beak overgrowth, was first described in the late 1990s and has been spreading rapidly both geographically and in terms of host species affected. AKD decreases host fitness and can be fatal. However, the cause of the disease has remained elusive, and its impact on host populations is poorly understood. We found a novel and divergent picornavirus in 19/19 AKD-affected black-capped chickadees that we examined but in only 2/9 control cases. We also found this virus in 4 individuals of 2 other passerine species that exhibited symptoms consistent with AKD. Our data suggest that this novel picornavirus warrants further investigation as the causative agent of AKD.Maxine ZylberbergCaroline Van HemertJohn P. DumbacherColleen M. HandelTarik TihanJoseph L. DeRisiAmerican Society for MicrobiologyarticleMicrobiologyQR1-502ENmBio, Vol 7, Iss 4 (2016)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Microbiology QR1-502
spellingShingle	Microbiology QR1-502 Maxine Zylberberg Caroline Van Hemert John P. Dumbacher Colleen M. Handel Tarik Tihan Joseph L. DeRisi Novel Picornavirus Associated with Avian Keratin Disorder in Alaskan Birds
description	ABSTRACT Avian keratin disorder (AKD), characterized by debilitating overgrowth of the avian beak, was first documented in black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) in Alaska. Subsequently, similar deformities have appeared in numerous species across continents. Despite the widespread distribution of this emerging pathology, the cause of AKD remains elusive. As a result, it is unknown whether suspected cases of AKD in the afflicted species are causally linked, and the impacts of this pathology at the population and community levels are difficult to evaluate. We applied unbiased, metagenomic next-generation sequencing to search for candidate pathogens in birds affected with AKD. We identified and sequenced the complete coding region of a novel picornavirus, which we are calling poecivirus. Subsequent screening of 19 AKD-affected black-capped chickadees and 9 control individuals for the presence of poecivirus revealed that 19/19 (100%) AKD-affected individuals were positive, while only 2/9 (22%) control individuals were infected with poecivirus. Two northwestern crows (Corvus caurinus) and two red-breasted nuthatches (Sitta canadensis) with AKD-consistent pathology also tested positive for poecivirus. We suggest that poecivirus is a candidate etiological agent of AKD. IMPORTANCE Avian keratin disorder (AKD) is an increasingly common disease of wild birds. This disease, characterized by beak overgrowth, was first described in the late 1990s and has been spreading rapidly both geographically and in terms of host species affected. AKD decreases host fitness and can be fatal. However, the cause of the disease has remained elusive, and its impact on host populations is poorly understood. We found a novel and divergent picornavirus in 19/19 AKD-affected black-capped chickadees that we examined but in only 2/9 control cases. We also found this virus in 4 individuals of 2 other passerine species that exhibited symptoms consistent with AKD. Our data suggest that this novel picornavirus warrants further investigation as the causative agent of AKD.
format	article
author	Maxine Zylberberg Caroline Van Hemert John P. Dumbacher Colleen M. Handel Tarik Tihan Joseph L. DeRisi
author_facet	Maxine Zylberberg Caroline Van Hemert John P. Dumbacher Colleen M. Handel Tarik Tihan Joseph L. DeRisi
author_sort	Maxine Zylberberg
title	Novel Picornavirus Associated with Avian Keratin Disorder in Alaskan Birds
title_short	Novel Picornavirus Associated with Avian Keratin Disorder in Alaskan Birds
title_full	Novel Picornavirus Associated with Avian Keratin Disorder in Alaskan Birds
title_fullStr	Novel Picornavirus Associated with Avian Keratin Disorder in Alaskan Birds
title_full_unstemmed	Novel Picornavirus Associated with Avian Keratin Disorder in Alaskan Birds
title_sort	novel picornavirus associated with avian keratin disorder in alaskan birds
publisher	American Society for Microbiology
publishDate	2016
url	https://doaj.org/article/466616d83e714ae081e320e226f43063
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Novel Picornavirus Associated with Avian Keratin Disorder in Alaskan Birds

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