Establishment and maintenance of persistent infection by picobirnavirus in greater rhea (Rhea Americana)

• Published in: Archives of virology Vol. 157; no. 11; pp. 2075 - 2082
• Main Authors: Masachessi, Gisela, Martinez, Laura C., Ganesh, Balasubramanian, Giordano, Miguel O., Barril, Patricia A., Isa, Maria B., Ibars, Alejandro, Pavan, Jorge V., Nates, Silvia V.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Vienna Springer Vienna 01.11.2012; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Amino acids; Animals; Argentina; Biological and medical sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Bird Diseases - pathology; Bird Diseases - virology; Birds; Coinfection - veterinary; Coinfection - virology; Defecation; Diarrhea; Feces; Feces - virology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genomes; Genotype; Infections; Infectious Diseases; Longitudinal Studies; Medical Microbiology; Microbiology; Miscellaneous; Original Article; Picobirnavirus - classification; Picobirnavirus - genetics; Picobirnavirus - isolation & purification; Picobirnavirus - pathogenicity; Rhea; Rhea americana; Rheiformes - virology; RNA polymerase; RNA Virus Infections - veterinary; RNA Virus Infections - virology; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Virology; Viruses; Argentina; dsRNA Virus; Persistent Infection; Viral Excretion; Fecal Sample; Stool Sample; Persistent infection
• ISSN: 0304-8608; 1432-8798
• DOI: 10.1007/s00705-012-1400-1

A study aimed to determine the infection model that picobirnavirus (PBV) established in birds was conducted in a farm of greater rheas in Córdoba, Argentina. Analysis of stools collected during a longitudinal study involving seven birds provided evidence that PBV is acquired very early in life and establishes a persistent infection in the host, which is characterized by intermingled periods of high, low and silent viral activity. Genomic analysis indicated that the rheas excreted virus with nucleotide sequence identity between 90.5–100 % and that more than one PBV strain with different electropherotype profiles could be involve in the infection. This report provides the first evidence of persistent infection of PBV in birds. The natural history of PBV infection has begun to be understood, and it appears that asymptomatic PBV-infected mammals and birds could persistently excrete the virus in stool samples, contributing to wide circulation of the virus in the environment.