Metatranscriptomic Analysis of Virus Diversity in Urban Wild Birds with Paretic Disease

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
File version

Version of Record (VoR)

Author(s)
Chang, Wei-Shan
Eden, John-Sebastian
Hall, Jane
Shi, Mang
Rose, Karrie
Holmes, Edward C
Griffith University Author(s)
Primary Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Editor(s)
Date
2020
Size
File type(s)
Location
Abstract

Wild birds are major natural reservoirs and potential dispersers of a variety of infectious diseases. As such, it is important to determine the diversity of viruses they carry and use this information to help understand the potential risks of spillover to humans, domestic animals, and other wildlife. We investigated the potential viral causes of paresis in long-standing, but undiagnosed, disease syndromes in wild Australian birds. RNA from diseased birds was extracted and pooled based on tissue type, host species, and clinical manifestation for metagenomic sequencing. Using a bulk and unbiased metatranscriptomic approach, combined with clinical investigation and histopathology, we identified a number of novel viruses from the families Astroviridae, Adenoviridae, Picornaviridae, Polyomaviridae, Paramyxoviridae, Parvoviridae, and Circoviridae in common urban wild birds, including Australian magpies, magpie larks, pied currawongs, Australian ravens, and rainbow lorikeets. In each case, the presence of the virus was confirmed by reverse transcription (RT)-PCR. These data revealed a number of candidate viral pathogens that may contribute to coronary, skeletal muscle, vascular, and neuropathology in birds of the Corvidae and Artamidae families and neuropathology in members of the Psittaculidae. The existence of such a diverse virome in urban avian species highlights the importance and challenges in elucidating the etiology and ecology of wildlife pathogens in urban environments. This information will be increasingly important for managing disease risks and conducting surveillance for potential viral threats to wildlife, livestock, and human health. IMPORTANCE Wildlife naturally harbor a diverse array of infectious microorganisms and can be a source of novel diseases in domestic animals and human populations. Using unbiased RNA sequencing, we identified highly diverse viruses in native birds from Australian urban environments presenting with paresis. This research included the clinical investigation and description of poorly understood recurring syndromes of unknown etiology: clenched claw syndrome and black and white bird disease. As well as identifying a range of potentially disease-causing viral pathogens, this study describes methods that can effectively and efficiently characterize emergent disease syndromes in free-ranging wildlife and promotes further surveillance for specific pathogens of potential conservation and zoonotic concern.

Journal Title

Journal of Virology

Conference Title
Book Title
Edition
Volume

94

Issue

18

Thesis Type
Degree Program
School
Publisher link
Patent number
Funder(s)
Grant identifier(s)
Rights Statement
Rights Statement

Copyright © 2020 Chang et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.

Item Access Status
Note
Access the data
Related item(s)
Subject

Biological sciences

Health sciences

Agricultural, veterinary and food sciences

Science & Technology

Life Sciences & Biomedicine

Virology

birds

evolution

Persistent link to this record
Citation

Chang, W-S; Eden, J-S; Hall, J; Shi, M; Rose, K; Holmes, EC, Metatranscriptomic Analysis of Virus Diversity in Urban Wild Birds with Paretic Disease, Journal of Virology, 2020, 94 (18)

Collections