Discrepancy in the diagnosis of avian Borna disease virus infection of Psittaciformes by protein analysis of feather calami and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay of plasma antibodies

The present study compares diagnosis of avian Borna disease virus (ABV) infection of psittacine birds by Western blot of bornaviral proteins in dried feather stems with the detection of anti-bornaviral protein antibodies to bornaviral proteins in plasma by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The detection of ABV proteins P40 and P24 in feather calami by Western blotting was possible even after storage of the dried feathers for several years at ambient temperature. Serological identification of anti-bornaviral antibodies may fail (e.g., in young birds, hatched from infected parents), whereas bornaviral P40 and P24 proteins were detected in feather stems. This failure can last at least 10 months after the birds are hatched. In some older birds (>5 years), ABV protein was only detectable in the brain, but not in some peripheral tissues, suggesting that the immune system had succeeded in removing the infecting ABV from tissues outside the brain. These results show that a combination of feather stem analysis for the presence of bornaviral proteins by Western blot combined with serological detection of anti-bornaviral antibodies by ELISA is the most reliable procedure for the detection of a bornaviral infection.

Feathers as a source of RNA for genomic studies in avian species

Dioxins and dioxin-like chemicals (DLCs) cause a suite of adverse effects in terrestrial species. Most of the adverse effects occur subsequent to binding to the aryl hydrocarbon receptor. Avian species vary in their sensitivity to the effects of DLCs and current research indicates that this is mediated by variations in the amino acid sequence within the ligand binding domain (LBD) of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor 1 (AHR1). Eighty-eight avian species have been classified into three broad categories of sensitivity, based on the amino acid variations within the AHR1 LBD: sensitive type 1 (Ile324_Ser380), moderately sensitive type 2 (Ile324_Ala380), and relatively insensitive type 3 (Val324_Ala380). Risk assessment of avian species can be complicated due to the variability in sensitivity among species. A predictive tool for selecting the priority species at a given site would have broad implications for the risk assessment community. We present a method for AHR1 genotyping using plucked feathers as a source of RNA. The method is extremely robust, requires minimal sample processing and handling, and eliminates the need for blood sampling or tissue collection from the species of interest. Using this method we were able to determine the amino acid sequence of the AHR LBD of three avian species: the chicken, the herring gull, and the zebra finch, and to categorize them based on the identity of amino acids at key sites within the LBD.

Probable congenital transmission of reticuloendotheliosis virus caused by vaccination with contaminated vaccines

Contaminated vaccine is one unexpected and potential origin of virus infection. In order to investigate the most likely cause of disease in a broiler breeder company of Shandong Province, all 17 batches of live-virus vaccines used in the affected flocks and 478 tissue samples were tested by dot-blot hybridization, nested PCR, and IFA. The results suggested the outbreak of disease was most probably due to the vaccination of REV-contaminated MD-CVI988/Rispens vaccines and ND-LaSota+IB-H120 vaccines. Furthermore, the REV was probably transmitted to the commercial chickens through congenital transmission.

Diagnosis of Avian bornavirus infection in psittaciformes by serum antibody detection and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assay using feather calami

Avian bornavirus (ABV) is the causative agent of proventricular dilatation disease (PDD), a highly devastating and contagious disease of psittacines (parrots and parakeets), which has resulted in the death of many captive birds. Accurate diagnosis of bornavirus infection is therefore important for the identification and isolation of infected birds. The current study showed that nonvascular contour (chest) feather calami provide a ready and minimally invasive source of RNA for the detection of ABV by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Storage of the feathers at room temperature for at least a month did not affect the results. Serological analysis by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) showed that identification of anti-bornaviral nucleoprotein P40 antibodies can identify many birds with a past or present infection. The presence of anti-avian bornaviral P24 phosphoprotein and P16 matrix protein antibodies was quite variable, rendering these antibodies less useful for diagnosis of ABV infection. The significance of the present findings is that the use of nonvascular feathers as a source of RNA allows sample collection under conditions where storage of other samples would be difficult. Serum detection by ELISA of anti-P40 antibodies allows the identification of infected birds when RT-PCR fails.