Phalen David N, Alvarado Carolina, Grillo Victoria, Mason Phillipa, Dobson Elizabeth, Holz Peter
1 Faculty of Veterinary Science, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, 415 Werombi Road, Camden, New South Wales 2570, Australia.
2 Wildlife Health Australia, PO Box 20, Mosman, New South Wales 2088, Australia.
J Wildl Dis. 2017 Jul;53(3):543-551. doi: 10.7589/2016-07-158. Epub 2017 Feb 13.
Columbid herpesvirus-1 (CoHV-1) is widespread in feral pigeons in North America and Europe. We used a PCR assay to detect CoHV-1 DNA in oral and cloacal tissues and oral swabs from naturally infected pigeons. Fifty-three feral pigeons from five flocks in Australia (n=3 from south-central Victoria and n=2 from Sydney) were examined for CoHV-1 DNA. We detected CoHV-1 DNA in oral mucosa and cloacal mucosa, with higher concentrations in the oral mucosa. The sensitivity of testing oral swabs was the same as testing the tissue, indicating that testing of oral swabs from live birds is an effective means of screening flocks for CoHV-1 infection. Infection was found in all five of the flocks examined and the prevalence of infection ranged from 70% to100%. Most positive birds could be detected with a single-amplification PCR, but a nested amplification was required to detect others. Oral swabs from Australian native doves and pigeons (n=18) and the introduced Collared Dove (Streptopelia chinensis; n=2) were also tested by the nested PCR and all were negative for CoHV-1 DNA. We describe a fatal infection of CoHV-1 in a wild Powerful Owl (Ninox strenua) that was observed feeding on feral pigeons. This is the first known case of CoHV-1 causing death in a wild bird of prey in Australia. Our data suggest that CoHV-1 is widespread in feral pigeon flocks in Australia but we did not find it in native doves and pigeons. Spillover into native avian predator species may be occurring.
鸽疱疹病毒1型（CoHV-1）在北美和欧洲的野生鸽子中广泛传播。我们使用聚合酶链反应（PCR）检测法，检测自然感染鸽子的口腔和泄殖腔组织以及口腔拭子中的CoHV-1 DNA。对来自澳大利亚五个鸽群的53只野生鸽子（维多利亚中南部3只，悉尼2只）进行了CoHV-1 DNA检测。我们在口腔黏膜和泄殖腔黏膜中检测到了CoHV-1 DNA，口腔黏膜中的浓度更高。检测口腔拭子的敏感性与检测组织相同，这表明检测活禽的口腔拭子是筛查鸽群CoHV-1感染的有效方法。在所检测的所有五个鸽群中均发现了感染，感染率在70%至100%之间。大多数阳性鸟类通过单扩增PCR即可检测到，但其他一些鸟类则需要巢式扩增才能检测到。还通过巢式PCR检测了澳大利亚本土鸽子和野鸽（18只）以及引入的珠颈斑鸠（Streptopelia chinensis；2只）的口腔拭子，所有样本的CoHV-1 DNA均为阴性。我们描述了一只野生猛鹰（Ninox strenua）因捕食野生鸽子而感染CoHV-1并死亡的病例。这是澳大利亚已知的首例CoHV-1导致野生猛禽死亡的病例。我们的数据表明，CoHV-1在澳大利亚的野生鸽群中广泛传播，但在本土鸽子和野鸽中未发现。可能正在发生病毒溢出感染本土鸟类捕食者物种的情况。
