Hepojoki Satu, Lindh Erika, Vapalahti Olli, Huovilainen Anita
Virology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
Infect Ecol Epidemiol. 2017 Nov 28;7(1):1408360. doi: 10.1080/20008686.2017.1408360. eCollection 2017.
Migratory birds act as hosts for a number of zoonotic viruses, and have the ability to disperse these viruses to distant geographic locations. Coronaviruses (CoVs) represent a family of zoonotic viruses with wide variety of animal hosts, including birds and humans. The infections caused by coronaviruses vary from mild to severe, depending on the viral species and the host. Since the coronaviruses exhibit extraordinary large RNA genome, also the rate of homologous recombination is high, which in turn contributes to the genetic diversity and interspecies host-switches of CoVs. The emergence of novel CoVs has been rich during the last decades, and wild birds seem to serve as reservoirs for a variety of CoV strains. We examined the CoVs circulating among wild birds in Finland. Samples (cloacal swab, tracheal swab, oropharyngeal swab, or tissue) representing 61 bird species were collected during 2010-2013, and examined by RT-PCR targeting the RdRp gene for the presence of CoV RNA. Altogether 51/939 (5.4%) of the examined birds were found positive by RT-PCR. Diverse gamma- and deltacoronavirus sequences were detected. Gamma- and deltacoronaviruses circulate among wild birds in Finland. The number of CoV-positive birds detected each year varies greatly.
候鸟是多种人畜共患病毒的宿主，有能力将这些病毒传播到遥远的地理位置。冠状病毒（CoV）是一类人畜共患病毒，宿主种类繁多，包括鸟类和人类。冠状病毒引起的感染从轻微到严重不等，这取决于病毒种类和宿主。由于冠状病毒具有非常大的RNA基因组，同源重组率也很高，这反过来又促进了冠状病毒的遗传多样性和种间宿主转换。在过去几十年中，新型冠状病毒不断出现，野生鸟类似乎是多种冠状病毒毒株的储存宿主。我们研究了芬兰野生鸟类中传播的冠状病毒。在2010年至2013年期间收集了代表61种鸟类的样本（泄殖腔拭子、气管拭子、口咽拭子或组织），并通过针对RdRp基因的逆转录聚合酶链反应（RT-PCR）检测冠状病毒RNA的存在。通过RT-PCR检测，总共51/939（5.4%）的受检鸟类呈阳性。检测到了多种γ冠状病毒和δ冠状病毒序列。γ冠状病毒和δ冠状病毒在芬兰的野生鸟类中传播。每年检测到的冠状病毒阳性鸟类数量差异很大。
