Eibner-Gebhardt Madeline W, Fleischer Robert C, Campana Michael G
Center for Conservation Genomics, Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Washington, DC, USA.
School Without Walls, Washington, DC, USA.
iScience. 2025 Mar 3;28(4):112153. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2025.112153. eCollection 2025 Apr 18.
is an avian pathogen that likely contributed to the declines and extinctions of endemic Hawaiian birds since its 19th century introduction. We surveyed 719 DNA libraries, including 639 representing 440 Hawaiian bird specimens, for evidence of infection. We reconstructed a 5.2× genome from an 1898 Hawaii 'amakihi () specimen. Its sequence matched an extant Hawaiian strain, supporting the strain's persistence in Hawaii over the last century. We identified the earliest molecularly verified case of in the Hawaiian Islands in an 1887 'alalā () specimen and reconstructed a partial genome from this specimen. Both specimens' strains were most closely related to canarypox virus, suggesting that introduced passerines may be the source of in Hawaiian endemic land birds. These findings clarify the origins and evolution of in Hawaii and provide evidence for the broader role of pathogens in driving biodiversity loss.
是一种禽类病原体，自19世纪传入以来，可能导致了夏威夷本土鸟类的数量减少和灭绝。我们调查了719个DNA文库，其中包括代表440个夏威夷鸟类标本的639个文库，以寻找感染证据。我们从1898年的夏威夷绿雀标本中重建了一个5.2倍的基因组。其序列与现存的夏威夷毒株匹配，支持了该毒株在上个世纪在夏威夷的持续存在。我们在1887年的夏威夷乌鸦标本中确定了夏威夷群岛上最早经分子验证的感染病例，并从该标本中重建了部分基因组。两个标本的毒株都与金丝雀痘病毒关系最为密切，这表明引入的雀形目鸟类可能是夏威夷本土陆鸟感染的来源。这些发现阐明了夏威夷感染的起源和演变，并为病原体在推动生物多样性丧失方面的更广泛作用提供了证据。
