Bougiouklis Petros A
Clinic of Avian Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, St. Voutira 11, 54627 Thessaloniki, (Hellas) Greece.
Med Hypotheses. 2007;68(2):320-3. doi: 10.1016/j.mehy.2006.07.020. Epub 2006 Sep 25.
Pigeon breeder's lung (PBL) or Bird fancier's lung (BFL) is one of the most common extrinsic allergic alveolitis or hypersensitivity pneumonitis. It is caused after prolonged inhalation of avian antigens and provokes a hypersensitivity reaction in the lungs of sensitised people. Although the pathogenic mechanism is unclear, the epidemiology of BFL shows that it occurs worldwide, and has been described in adults keeping birds and also in their children. Laboratory findings associated with the disease classified as a type III immunologic reaction that produces blood precipitin antibodies against birds' serum, feathers, intestinal mucin and/or faeces. In particular, the fine dust from pigeon feathers has strong antigenic properties. There is an interaction between host and antigen that seems to be influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Avian circoviruses (ACV) of the genus Circovirus, has been detected in free-ranging and captive birds worldwide, such as pigeons, canaries, psittacines, Senegal doves, finches, gulls, Australian ravens and geese. T lymphocytes are the main target cells of the ACV and in the above avian species circovirus-like particles were detected in blood, macrophages, feathers, crop secretions, intestinal contents and/or faeces. Most of the ACV was demonstrated that are pantropic and viral antigen in pigeon tissues was most commonly detected in respiratory organs, including the trachea, pharynx and lung. The transmission of the circovirus between the birds usually occurs through inhalation of feathers dust. There is evidence that animal circoviruses may originate when vertebrates become "infected" with DNA from a plant nanovirus. So, it seems that further investigation for the avian circoviruses is needed to determine if they are host specific or not. This study attempts to demonstrate ACV or ACV-like particles as potential triggers in the BFL aetiology, and the possible involvement in BFL's pathogenic mechanism.
鸽饲养者肺（PBL）或养鸟人肺（BFL）是最常见的外源性过敏性肺泡炎或超敏性肺炎之一。它是由于长期吸入禽类抗原引起的，会在致敏人群的肺部引发超敏反应。尽管其致病机制尚不清楚，但BFL的流行病学表明它在全球范围内都有发生，在养鸟的成年人及其子女中都有相关报道。与该疾病相关的实验室检查结果归类为III型免疫反应，会产生针对鸟类血清、羽毛、肠道粘蛋白和/或粪便的血液沉淀抗体。特别是，鸽羽的细粉尘具有很强的抗原特性。宿主与抗原之间存在相互作用，这似乎受到遗传和环境因素的影响。圆环病毒属的禽圆环病毒（ACV）已在世界各地的野生和圈养鸟类中被检测到，如鸽子、金丝雀、鹦鹉、塞内加尔鸽、雀类、海鸥、澳大利亚渡鸦和鹅。T淋巴细胞是ACV的主要靶细胞，在上述鸟类物种的血液、巨噬细胞、羽毛、嗉囊分泌物、肠道内容物和/或粪便中检测到了圆环病毒样颗粒。大多数ACV被证明具有泛嗜性，鸽组织中的病毒抗原最常在包括气管、咽部和肺部在内的呼吸器官中被检测到。圆环病毒在鸟类之间通常通过吸入羽毛粉尘传播。有证据表明，动物圆环病毒可能起源于脊椎动物被植物纳米病毒的DNA“感染”之时。因此，似乎需要对禽圆环病毒进行进一步研究，以确定它们是否具有宿主特异性。本研究试图证明ACV或ACV样颗粒是BFL病因中的潜在触发因素，以及它们可能参与BFL的致病机制。
