In Vitro and In Vivo Characterization of a Pigeon Paramyxovirus Type 1 Isolated from Domestic Pigeons in Victoria, Australia 2011

La Sota-vectored recombinant vaccine with chimeric hemagglutinin-neuraminidase for enhanced protection against highly pathogenic pigeon paramyxovirus type 1

Pigeon Paramyxovirus Type 1 (PPMV-1), an antigenic and host variant of the Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV), can infect pigeons of all ages and cause severe economic losses in the poultry industry. The existing commercial vaccines are not capable of providing complete protection against the prevalent PPMV-1 strains. To address this issue, reverse genetic technology was employed to create a recombinant 167DM strain by incorporating the chimeric genotype Ⅵ hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) with La Sota as the backbone. The optimal anti-PPMV-1 vaccine candidate was identified through a systematical comparison of biological characteristics and immune efficacy of the predominant PPMV-1 epidemic strain, the 167DM strain, and the La Sota strain. Results indicated that the 167DM strain exhibited the highest culture titers in allantoic fluid and the strongest heat resistance. The antibody titers in the 167DM vaccine group consistently surpassed those in other groups tested. Cross-hemagglutination inhibition (HI) tests revealed no detectable antigenic differences between the 167DM and the prevalent PPMV-1 strain. Furthermore, the 167DM strain conferred 100% protection by preventing PPMV-1 infection and completely inhibiting virus shedding. These findings provide valuable insights for the development of a novel vaccine targeting ND in pigeons, thus laying a foundation for further advancements in vaccine development within this avian population.

Geographic distribution and genetic diversity of Newcastle disease virus in pigeons from Pakistan

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS

Virulent NDV genotypes were repeatedly isolated from pigeons.Evidence of epidemiological links among viruses isolated from various locations.Distinct phylogenetic branches suggest separate, simultaneous evolution of NDVs.Study information could be helpful in the development of an effective vaccine.

Discovery and Evolutionary Analysis of a Novel Bat-Borne Paramyxovirus

Paramyxoviruses are a group of RNA viruses, such as mumps virus, measles virus, Nipah virus, Hendra virus, Newcastle disease virus, and parainfluenza virus, usually transmitted by airborne droplets that are predominantly responsible for acute respiratory diseases. In this paper, we identified a novel paramyxovirus belonging to genus Jeilongvirus infecting 4/112 (3.6%) bats from two trapping sites of Hainan Province of China. In these animals, the viral RNA was detected exclusively in kidney tissues. This is the first full-length Jeilongvirus genome (18,095 nucleotides) from bats of genus Hipposideros, which exhibits a canonical genome organization and encodes SH and TM proteins. Results, based on phylogenic analysis and genetic distances, indicate that the novel paramyxovirus formed an independent lineage belonging to genus Jeilongvirus, representing, thus, a novel species. In addition, the virus-host macro-evolutionary analysis revealed that host-switching was not only a common co-phylogenetic event, but also a potential mechanism by which rats are infected by bat-origin Jeilongvirus through cross-species virus transmission, indicating a bat origin of the genus Jeilongvirus. Overall, our study broadens the viral diversity, geographical distribution, host range, and evolution of genus Jeilongvirus.

Biological Characterization and Evolutionary Dynamics of Pigeon Paramyxovirus Type 1 in China

Pigeon paramyxovirus type 1 (PPMV-1) is considered as an antigenic variant of Newcastle disease virus (NDV) which has an obvious host preference for pigeons and has caused significant economic losses to the global poultry industry. The evolutionary dynamics of PPMV-1 in China, however, are poorly understood. In this study, we characterized seven PPMV-1 isolates from diseased pigeons collected in Jiangsu, Anhui, and Henan provinces during 2020. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that seven isolates belonged to sub-genotype VI.2.1.1.2.2. Biological characterization indicated that seven isolates were mesogenic based on the mean death time (69.6-91.2 h) and intracerebral pathogenicity index (1.19-1.40) and had similar growth kinetics in chicken embryos and CEFs. Furthermore, the four representative viruses (AH/01/20/Pi, JS/06/20/Pi, HN/01/20/Pi, and HN/02/20/Pi) could result in marked cytopathic effects (CPE) in CEFs and induced syncytium formation in Vero cells. Our Bayesian phylogenetic analysis showed that PPMV-1 might first emerge in East China in 1974 and East China had the highest genotypic diversity of PPMV-1. Besides, phylogeographic analysis indicated that East China and South China were probably the major epicenters of dissemination of PPMV-1 in China. Selection pressure analysis and amino acid substitutions analysis revealed that the viral replication complex (NP, P, and L proteins) was likely related with the host preference of PPMV-1. Collectively, this study uncovered the epidemiology and evolutionary dynamics of PPMV-1 circulating in China, emphasizing the importance of strengthening the monitoring of PPMV-1 in East China and South China and providing significant clues for further studies on the molecular mechanism underlying host preference of PPMV-1.