Duchatel J P, Todd D, Smyth J A, Bustin J C, Vindevogel H
Institute of Veterinary, Department of Infections and Parasitic Diseases, Avian and Rabbit Clinic, University of Liège, Bd de Colonster 20/BAT. B.42, B-4000 Liege, Belgium.
Avian Pathol. 2006 Feb;35(1):30-4. doi: 10.1080/03079450500465692.
Infections with pigeon circovirus (PiCV) occur in young racing pigeons and pigeons raised for meat production and have been reported worldwide, but relatively little is known about the disease induced by PiCV infection. The aim of this study was to investigate how PiCV is transmitted. Using a sensitive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, the presence of PiCV was investigated in a wide range of samples from adult pigeons, embryos, breeders and young birds, which were derived from a racing loft that had a clinical history of "young pigeon sickness" and in which PiCV had been previously been diagnosed. Using PCR, PiCV DNA was detected in tissues of 13/20 apparently healthy older birds, aged from 1 to 9 years. Viral DNA was most commonly detected in the respiratory organs, including the trachea, pharynx and lung, followed by tissues such as the spleen, kidney and liver. It was also detected in the ovary and/or testes of some birds. This finding, and the detection of viral DNA in tissues from 8/22 embryos, suggested that PiCV may be vertically transmitted. Testing of pharyngeal and cloacal swabs, and blood samples, collected immediately before the death of the adult pigeons, failed to detect all birds found to be infected at necropsy, suggesting that testing of potential breeding birds would not enable exclusion of infected birds from breeding programmes. Additional PCR testing of cloacal swab samples obtained sequentially from 19 young pigeons showed that while four were excreting virus when 15 days old, only one bird was excreting at the time of weaning (28 days old). The detection of viral DNA in cloacal swab samples from 15.8% of the birds when 37 days old and 100% of birds when 51 days old suggested that most young pigeons probably became infected in the rearing loft.
鸽圆环病毒（PiCV）感染发生于幼龄赛鸽和肉鸽中，且已在全球范围内报道，但人们对PiCV感染所致疾病了解相对较少。本研究的目的是调查PiCV如何传播。使用灵敏的聚合酶链反应（PCR）检测，对来自一个有“幼鸽病”临床病史且先前已诊断出PiCV的赛鸽舍的成年鸽、胚胎、种鸽和幼鸽的多种样本进行了PiCV检测。通过PCR，在20只1至9岁看似健康的老龄鸽的组织中检测到了PiCV DNA。病毒DNA最常于包括气管、咽和肺在内的呼吸器官中检测到，其次是脾脏、肾脏和肝脏等组织。在一些鸟类的卵巢和/或睾丸中也检测到了病毒。这一发现以及在22只胚胎中的8只的组织中检测到病毒DNA表明PiCV可能通过垂直传播。对成年鸽死亡前立即采集的咽拭子、泄殖腔拭子和血液样本进行检测，未能检测到尸检时发现感染的所有鸟类，这表明对潜在种鸽进行检测无法将感染鸟类排除在育种计划之外。对19只幼鸽依次采集的泄殖腔拭子样本进行的额外PCR检测表明，虽然4只幼鸽在15日龄时排出病毒，但在断奶时（28日龄）只有1只幼鸽排出病毒。在37日龄时，15.8%的鸟类泄殖腔拭子样本中检测到病毒DNA，在51日龄时所有鸟类均检测到病毒DNA，这表明大多数幼鸽可能是在育雏鸽舍中感染的。
