Molecular characterisation of polyomavirus in parrots in Iran

Abstract

Avian polyomavirus (APV) is a highly significant viral threat to caged birds. The disease results in substantial financial losses for farmers and pet store owners annually. Identifying the cause of the disease is crucial, as infected parrots may display similar symptoms to those affected by other viral diseases like psittacine beak and feather disease. The aim of this study was the molecular detection and characterisation of the avian polyomavirus in parrots of Iran and to explore the correlation be-tween the infection and the bird species. In addition, a two-step nested-PCR technique was developed and implemented in place of traditional single-step methods to enhance the sensitivity of virus detec-tion. A total of 85 cloacal samples were collected from four different species of parrots. For amplifi-cation, two sets of primers to target a specific region of the VP1 gene were used in a two-step nested PCR protocol. The PCR products were sequenced, and phylogenetic analysis was conducted to inves-tigate the source of the virus across studied bird species. The obtained results demonstrated that 11.76% of the sampled and tested avian population were positive based on the PCR and gel electro-phoresis. Direct sequencing of the samples showed that 0.98% of amplified nucleotides had mutation in one or more samples. Finally, the phylogenetic analysis revealed that different strains of APV were circulating in rosy-face lovebirds and budgerigars in Iran. In conclusion, our findings confirmed the presence of APV in parrot flocks in Iran. Additionally, the APV VP1 gene demonstrated its potential as a valuable target for future identification and molecular analyses of the APV.

Keywords

• avian polyomavirus
• nested-pcr
• phylogenetic analysis
• sequencing
• vp1 gene