Pathological and epidemiological significance of Goose haemorrhagic polyomavirus (GHPV) infection in ducks

Léni Corrand (1) , Jacqueline Gelfi (2) , Olivier Albaric (3) , Mélanie Etievant (4) , Jean-Luc Pingret (4) , Jean-Luc Guerin (1)

1 Pathologie aviaire
2 IHAP - Interactions hôtes-agents pathogènes [Toulouse]
3 Histopathologie animale
4 Scanelis

Goose haemorrhagic polyomavirus (GHPV) is the viral agent of haemorrhagic nephritis enteritis of geese (HNEG), a lethal disease of goslings. It was recently shown that GHPV also can be detected in Muscovy and mule ducks. The goal of the present study was to investigate the pathobiology of GHPV in ducks. In the first experiment, field GHPV isolates from Muscovy or mule ducks were fully sequenced and compared to goose GHPV. These duck isolates were then used to inoculate one-day-old goslings. Typical clinical signs and lesions of HNEG were reproduced, indicating that "duck-GHPV"isolates are virulent in goose. In the second experiment, 1-day-old and 21-day-old Muscovy ducklings were infected by a reference GHPV strain. In both cases, neither clinical signs nor histopathological lesions were observed. However, the virus was detected in cloacal bursae and sera, and serological responses were detected at 12 days post infection. These findings suggest firstly that one common genotype of GHPV circulates among ducks and geese. Secondly the study shows that ducks are infected by GHPV but show no pathologic evidence of infection, whereas geese express clinical signs. GHPV infection should therefore be considered as a carriage in ducks, of epidemiological relevance in case of contact with geese flocks.

Mots clés: Life Sciences

Domaines: Biologie animale

Léni Corrand, Jacqueline Gelfi, Olivier Albaric, Mélanie Etievant, Jean-Luc Pingret, et al.. Pathological and epidemiological significance of Goose haemorrhagic polyomavirus (GHPV) infection in ducks. Avian Pathology, 2011, 40 (04), pp.355-360. ⟨10.1080/03079457.2011.582481⟩. ⟨hal-00722794⟩