A PCR-Based Retrospective Study for Beak and Feather Disease Virus (BFDV) in Five Wild Populations of Parrots from Australia, Argentina and New Zealand
Luis Ortiz-Catedral,
Connor J. Wallace,
Robert Heinsohn,
Elizabeth A. Krebs,
Naomi E. Langmore,
Dusan Vukelic,
Enrique H. Bucher,
Arvind Varsani,
Juan F. Masello
Affiliations
Luis Ortiz-Catedral
Ecology and Conservation Lab, School of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, Massey University, Auckland 0745, New Zealand
Connor J. Wallace
Ecology and Conservation Lab, School of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, Massey University, Auckland 0745, New Zealand
Robert Heinsohn
Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
Elizabeth A. Krebs
Wildlife Research Division, Science and Technology Branch, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Delta, BC V4K 3N2, Canada
Naomi E. Langmore
Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
Dusan Vukelic
School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
Enrique H. Bucher
Centro de Zoología Aplicada, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba 5000, Argentina
Arvind Varsani
The Biodesign Center for Fundamental and Applied Microbiomics, Center for Evolution and Medicine, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
Juan F. Masello
Department of Animal Ecology & Systematics, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26, 35392 Giessen, Germany
The beak and feather disease virus (family Circovirdae) is a virus of concern in the conservation of wild Psittaciformes globally. We conducted a PCR screening for the beak and feather disease virus (BFDV) using samples collected during previous field studies (1993–2014) in five populations of parrots of the Southern Hemisphere: Eclectus parrots (Eclectus roratus) and Crimson rosellas (Platycercus elegans) from Australia, Burrowing parrots (Cyanoliseus patagonus) and Monk parakeets from Argentina (Myiopsitta monachus), and Forbes’ parakeet from New Zealand (Cyanoramphus forbesi). A total of 612 samples were screened. BFDV was not detected in any of the sampled birds. Our results provide a retrospective screening, covering three different tribes of Old and New World parrots, including two of the most numerous species, and contributing a large set of negative results. Furthermore, our results suggest that geographical and temporal differences in BFDV distribution may exist and merit further research, as a critical component in the efforts to manage the disease and its epidemiological aspects. The results presented here hold the potential to provide a baseline for future studies investigating the temporal evolution and the spread of BFDV.
