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Posted by shraidal on 10 Jan 2014 at 02:07 GMT
The orange-bellied parrot is critically endangered with less than 50 individuals remaining in the wild. Commencing in 2007-08 a captive breeding population of about 250 birds, used to release birds back into the wild, suffered an outbreak of psittacine beak and feather disease (PBFD). This opportunity to track the replication and genetic mutation events occurring in the beak and feather disease virus (BFDV), a circular, single-stranded DNA virus, revealed the outbreak was associated with genetic mutations in functionally important regions of the BFDV genome with a high rate of mutation (3.41×10-3 subs/site/year) akin to rates normally only seen in RNA viruses. We also show recombination hotspots between distinct progenitor genotypes indicating early cross-transmission in the population. In individual birds multiple genetic (quasispecies) variants were also demonstrated with at least 13 variants identified in four different birds, one containing up to 7 genetic variants. Preferential PCR amplification of variants was also detected. Whilst the original source of BFDV infection is unknown our findings suggest that high genetic diversity within BFDV as a whole is reflected in evolutionary dynamics within individually infected birds and host species as quasispecies variation, particularly when BFDV jumps from one host to another.