Investigation into the diversity and distribution of adenoviruses in wild and cage birds in Australia

• Grant number: 18/19092-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: December 01, 2018
• End date: June 01, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Pathology
• Principal Investigator: Tânia de Freitas Raso
• Grantee: Frederico Fontanelli Vaz
• Supervisor: David N. Phalen
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Sydney, Camden, Australia
• Associated to the scholarship: 16/03928-2 - OCURRENCE OF INFECTIOUS AGENTS IN WILD AND NEWLY SEIZED FROM ILLEGAL TRADE AMAZON PARROTS: IMPLICATIONS FOR CONSERVATION, BP.DR

Abstract

The conservation of global biodiversity is threatened by infectious diseases. The captive breeding population of the orange-bellied parrot (Neophema chrysogaster) is endemically infected by the Psittacid Adenovirus 2 (PsAdv-2) in Australia and its impact on this critically endangered psittacine species in not known. Recently it has been shown that PsAdv-2 is also present in at least one avicultural collection and that other known and novel adenoviruses appear to be circulating in captive species of Australian finch. Thus, the aims of the present study are to: 1. Develop a real time PCR assay to correlate PsAdv-2 shedding with age, sex, and disease status in wild and captive orange-bellied parrots. 2. Determine the prevalence of PsAdv-2 in neophema and Bourke parrots. 3. Determine the species and prevalence of infection of adenoviruses in Australian finches. 4. Characterize the host range of PsAdv-2, Gouldian finch adenovirus 1, and one or more novel finch adenoviruses. Outcomes will inform health management practices for the critically endangered orange-bellied parrot, generate a better understanding of adenovirus epizootiology in cage birds in Australia and train a PhD student in molecular diagnosis techniques. Furthermore, it will provide the opportunity for enhancing laboratory networking and information exchange between the research groups involved, namely FMVZ-USP/Brazil and Wildlife Health & Conservation Centre/Australia. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

VAZ, FREDERICO F.; RASO, TANIA F.; AGIUS, JESSICA E.; HUNT, TONY; LEISHMAN, ALAN; EDEN, JOHN-SEBASTIAN; PHALEN, DAVID N.. Opportunistic sampling of wild native and invasive birds reveals a rich diversity of adenoviruses in Australia. VIRUS EVOLUTION, v. 6, n. 1, JAN 2020. (18/19092-6)

PHALEN, DAVID N.; AGIUS, JESSICA; VAZ, FREDERICO F.; EDEN, JOHN-SEBASTIAN; SETYO, LAURA C.; DONAHOE, SHANNON. A survey of a mixed species aviary provides new insights into the pathogenicity, diversity, evolution, host range, and distribution of psittacine and passerine adenoviruses. AVIAN PATHOLOGY, v. 48, n. 5, JULY 2019. (18/19092-6)