Development and Validation of KASP Assays for the Genotyping of Racing Performance-Associated Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in Pigeons

Kompetitive allele specific PCR (KASP) based genotyping of sickle gene in the selected sub-ethnic tribal population of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh

BACKGROUND

Indian tribal population is more vulnerable to sickle cell disease (SCD), an autosomal recessive disease caused by a single A>T transversion mutation in the HBB gene. Current study aims to develop a novel Kompetitive allele specific PCR (KASP) assay for genotyping of sickle gene in selected tribal communities of India.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The study was conducted from 2021 to 2023 involving 583 self-declared healthy individuals from four tribal communities, i.e. Korku, Kol, and Sahariya of Madhya Pradesh and Dongri bhil of Gujarat. The sickle cell genotyping was performed using KASP and PCR-RFLP methods and further validated by Sanger sequencing. Various hematological and biochemical parameters were also studied and compared for their association with identified genotypes.

RESULTS

Prevalence of sickle cell trait (SCT) was observed as 4.67%, 9.33%, and 16.41% in Kol, Korku, and Dongri bhil, respectively. The SCD prevalence of 0.7% was observed in Dongri bhil. The KASP assay reflects as a novel, high-throughput, and cost-effective method for effective screening. RBC, folic acid, fetal Hb (HBF), and bilirubin have shown significant association with sickle gene mutation.

CONCLUSIONS

KASP assay offers a rapid, precise, and cost-effective method for screening in tribal populations, which can help in early identification, management, and elimination of disease.

Retrospective detection and whole genome sequencing identify the first local case of Pigeon Rotavirus A infection in Taiwan from 2018

In 2018, pigeon Rotavirus A G18P[17] was identified in Australia as the causative agent of a disease outbreak presenting as vomiting and diarrhea, reminiscent of the young pigeon disease syndrome. This virus has subsequently been detected in several other countries, including Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Poland, and the United States. This study was conducted to determine the presence of pigeon Rotavirus A among archived samples collected in Taiwan, and to subsequently characterize the whole genome of a local isolate. Two hundred twenty-five pigeon liver samples collected from 2018 to 2023 were tested for the presence of pigeon rotavirus A RNA using PCR. A sample from 2018 tested positive, and the successful rescue of infective virions was achieved. The first coding-complete genome of this virus from Taiwan was successfully sequenced, revealing that isolate NPUST-001 belongs to genotype G18P[17]-I4-R4-C4-M4-A4-T4-N4-E19-H4. To date, this is the earliest known rotavirus A isolate with this exact genotype constellation recovered from a domestic pigeon sample in the Asian region. Phylogenetic analysis of the VP6 segment showed that isolate NPUST-001 belongs to a distinct lineage of pigeon Rotavirus A which comprises of several other strains reported from mainland China and the USA. Although no recent cases were detected, active surveillance for rotaviral infection among suspected cases is recommended to gather more information on the epidemiology of this virus locally.

Application potential of chicken DNA chip in domestic pigeon species - Preliminary results

Introducing the SNP technology to pigeon breeding will enhance the competitiveness of a sector that produces one of the healthiest and best quality meats. The present study aimed to test the applicability of the Illumina Chicken_50K_CobbCons array on 24 domestic pigeon individuals from the Mirthys hybrids and Racing pigeon breeds. A total of 53,313 SNPs were genotyped. Principal component analysis shows a significant overlap between the two groups. The chip performed poorly in this data set, with a call rate per sample of 0.474 (49%). The low call rate was likely due to an increase in the evolutionary distance. A total of 356 SNPs were retained after a relatively strict quality control. We have demonstrated that it is technically feasible to use a chicken microarray chip on pigeon samples. Presumably, with a larger sample size and by assigning phenotypic data, efficiency would be improved, allowing more thorough analyses, such as genome-wide association studies.

Pigeon Circovirus over Three Decades of Research: Bibliometrics, Scoping Review, and Perspectives

The pigeon circovirus (PiCV), first described in the literature in the early 1990s, is considered one of the most important infectious agents affecting pigeon health. Thirty years after its discovery, the current review has employed bibliometric strategies to map the entire accessible PiCV-related research corpus with the aim of understanding its present research landscape, particularly in consideration of its historical context. Subsequently, developments, current knowledge, and important updates were provided. Additionally, this review also provides a textual analysis examining the relationship between PiCV and the young pigeon disease syndrome (YPDS), as described and propagated in the literature. Our examination revealed that usages of the term 'YPDS' in the literature are characterizations that are diverse in range, and neither standard nor equivalent. Guided by our understanding of the PiCV research corpus, a conceptualization of PiCV diseases was also presented in this review. Proposed definitions and diagnostic criteria for PiCV subclinical infection (PiCV-SI) and PiCV systemic disease (PiCV-SD) were also provided. Lastly, knowledge gaps and open research questions relevant to future PiCV-related studies were identified and discussed.