Avian pneumovirus 38525 Following infection, the virus is shed from the nares and trachea but not in the feces. After initial introduction of the virus, the disease spreads rapidly within a geographic area or country. The methods by which the virus is spread are unclear and often unpredictable. Direct contact attributed to movement of infected birds, personnel, equipment, and vehicles have all been implicated, while airborne transmission has also been reported to occur. There is no published evidence of vertical transmission via the egg, even though the virus has, on occasion, been detected in the reproductive tract of laying birds. Persistence of the virus in turkeys and chickens has not been demonstrated and, following experimental infection, virus was detected for 6-7 days only after inoculation. Wild birds have been implicated in the spread of avian pneumovirus, particularly waterfowl and gulls (Merck Vet Manual: Avian Pneumovirus). Turkey rhinotracheitis, Avian rhinotracheitis, Swollen head syndrome Chickens, turkeys, pheasants, and guinea fowl (Merck Vet Manual: Avian Pneumovirus). Avian pneumoviruses have been implicated in the upper respiratory tract disease of turkeys and chickens known as turkey rhinotracheitis. The virus has also been associated with swollen head syndrome of chickens. First described in south Africa in the late 1970s, avian pneumovirus soon appeared in Europe and the Middle East. The disease has now been reported from all the major poultry-producing areas in the world except for Australasia. The virus has also been detected in pheasants and guinea fowl, and serologic evidence suggests other avian species are susceptible. Recent studies have indicated an antigenic relationship with a newly discovered human pneumovirus isolated from children with respiratory tract disease. Avian pneumoviruses are members of the subfamily Pneumovirinae, belonging to the family Paramyxoviridae. The subfamily consists of 2 genera: Pneumovirus, consisting of mammalian respiratory syncytial viruses and mouse pneumovirus, and Metapneumovirus, in which avian pneumoviruses are placed. Based on observed differences following sequence analysis of the viral genes, at least 3 subtypes of the virus have been described (A, B, C). Subtype C viruses appear to be the only subtype found in North America and have not been reported in other parts of the world (Merck Vet Manual: Avian Pneumovirus). Baboon Papio cynocephalus 9556 Bank vole Clethrionomys glareolus 447135 Bear Ursus americanus 9643 Birds Passeroidea 175121 Brown Trout Salmo trutta 8032 Buffalo Bison bison 9901 Carnivores Vulpes 9625 Cat Felis catus 9685 Catfishes Siluriformes 7995 Cattle Bos taurus 9913 Chicken Gallus gallus 9031 Chimpanzee Pan troglodytes 9598 chinchillas Chinchillidae 10150 Copper Pheasant Syrmaticus soemmerringii 9067 Deer Cervus elaphus 9860 Deer mouse Peromyscus maniculatus 10042 Dog Canis familiaris 9615 Ducks Anas 8835 Ferret Mustela putorius furo 9669 Fish Hyperotreti 117565 Gerbil Gerbillina 10045 Goat Capra hircus 9925 Gray wolf Canis lupus 9612 Guinea pig Cavia porcellus 10141 Hamster Mesocricetus auratus 10036 Horse Equus caballus 9796 Human Homo sapiens 9606 Macaque Macaca fascicularis 9541 Mongolian Gerbil Meriones unguiculatus 10047 Monkey Platyrrhini 9479 Mouse Mus musculus 10090 None None Parrot Psittacidae 9224 Pig Sus scrofa 9823 Rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus 9986 Rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss 8022 Rat Rattus 10114 Raven Corvus corax 56781 sei whale Balaenoptera borealis 9768 Sheep Ovis aries 9940 Squirrel Spermophilus richardsonii 37591 Tree shrew Tupaiidae 9393 Trouts, salmons & chars Salmoninae 504568 Turkey Meleagris gallopavo 9103 Vole Microtus ochrogaster 79684 Water buffalo Bubalus bubalis 391902 Avian pneumovirus DNA Vaccine expressing the F gene VO_0004525 DNA vaccine Research pCMV-F [Ref2640:Kapczynski and Sellers, 2003] Intramuscular injection (i.m.) Intramuscular injection (i.m.) DNA vaccine construction Serum neutralizing antibodies were significantly higher in birds receiving pCMV-F compared with all other groups (Kapczynski and Sellers, 2003). One-week-old SPF poults were arbitrarily separated into four groups of five or six birds. All vaccinations were delivered by syringe injection into the thigh muscle in 0.1-ml aliquots. Control birds received PBS at days 7 and 21 of age. Birds receiving either pCMV, pCMV-F, or pCMV-N received 50 ag of plasmid DNA on day 7 and 100 ag on day 21 (Kapczynski and Sellers, 2003). VO_0000286 Poults receiving pCMV-F had significantly decreased levels of virus in tracheal swabs on all days in Experiment I and on day 7 in Experiment II compared with other groups. In addition, the percentage of birds displaying clinical signs of disease was decreased in turkeys receiving pCMV-F in both experiments. In experiments I and II, only 20% and 30%, respectively, of birds vaccinated with pCMV-F displayed clinical signs at day 7 (Kapczynski and Sellers, 2003). Two weeks after the second vaccination, birds were challenged via intranasal route with 1 x 10^5 TCID50 Mn la per bird (Kapczynski and Sellers, 2003). Avian Pneumovirus Modified Live Virus Vaccine (USDA: 1A31.20) Biomune Company VO_0001605 Live, attenuated vaccine Licensed USA Fusion protein Avian metapneumovirus isolate 1b 6018112 CDD:278924 38525 + fusion protein 7.12 53018.98 597 subtype: C >AAF01771.1 fusion protein [Avian metapneumovirus] MSWKVVLLLVLLATPTGGLEESYLEESCSTVTRGYLSVLRTGWYTNVFTLEVGDVENLTCTDGPSLIRTE LELTKNALEELKTVSADQLAKEARIMSPRKARFVLGAIALGVATAAAVTAGVAIAKTIRLEGEVAAIKGA LRKTNEAVSTLGNGVRVLATAVNDLKDFISKKLTPAINRNKCDISDLKMAVSFGQYNRRFLNVVRQFSDN AGITPAISLDLMTDAELVRAVSNMPTSSGQINLMLENRAMVRRKGFGILIGVYGSSVVYIVQLPIFGVID TPCWKVKAAPLCSGKDGNYACLLREDQGWYCQNAGSTVYYPNEEDCEVRSDHVFCDTAAGINVAKESEEC NRNISTTKYPCKVSTGRHPISMVALSPLGALVACYDGMSCSIGSNKVGIIRPLGKGCSYISNQDADTVTI DNTVYQLSKVEGEQHTIKGKPVSSNFDPIEFPEDQFNVALDQVFESVEKSQNLIDQSNKILDSIEKGNAG FVIVIVLIVLLMLAAVGVGVFFVVKKRKAAPKFPMEMNGVNNKGFIP Protective antigen Merck Vet Manual: Avian Pneumovirus website http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/206300.htm