The hematological and serum biochemical alterations following very virulent infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) infection in pigeons and chickens were evaluated in this study. Sixty IBDV seronegative birds comprising 30 (3-6 weeks old) pigeons and 30 (3 weeks old) chickens were randomly divided as follows: 10 uninoculated pigeons only, 10 inoculated pigeons + 10 sentinel chickens, 10 inoculated chickens + 10 sentinel pigeons, and 10 uninoculated chickens.
Inoculated birds were administered 0.20 ml of inoculum containing very virulent IBDV (vvIBDV). Blood was collected postinoculation/exposure (pi/pe) and processed for hematology and biochemistry.
The results revealed significantly (P < 0.05) increased packed cell volume, decreased mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), and MCH concentration (MCHC) in inoculated and sentinel chickens. Total leukocyte count (TLC), heterophil, and heterophil/lymphocyte (H/L) ratio were increased from 3 dpi/dpe in inoculated pigeons and from 3 to 14 dpi/dpe in inoculated and sentinel chickens.
At 10 and 14 dpi/dpe, there was significantly (P < 0.05) increased serum total protein and globulin concentrations and decreased albumin/globulin ratio in pigeons and chickens.
Serum urea concentration showed significant (P < 0.05) increase in inoculated and sentinel chickens at 3 and 4 dpi/dpe. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report on hematological and serum biochemical alterations due to vvIBDV infection in pigeons.
Hematologic values in domestic pigeons naturally infected with Mycobacterium avium subsp. avium
Avian mycobacteriosis is an important disease of birds and is most often caused by Mycobacterium avium or Mycobacterium genavense.
However, little information on the hematologic changes associated with this infectious disease in pigeons has been published.
The aim of this investigation was to compare the hematologic parameters of domestic pigeons (Columba livia var. domestica) naturally infected with M avium subsp. avium (MAA) with clinically healthy pigeons.
Blood samples were collected from 12 pigeons with suspected mycobacteriosis and 12 clinically healthy pigeons.
All the birds with suspect infections were necropsied, and affected organs were cultured and examined on histopathology for mycobacteriosis.
Total leukocyte and erythrocyte counts were performed on each blood sample with the Natt and Herrick method using a Neubauer hemocytometer. White blood cell (WBC) differential counts were performed on Giemsa-stained blood smears. Packed cell volumes (PCVs) were measured using the microhematocrit technique.
Hemoglobin concentrations were measured with a spectrophotometer using the cyanomethemoglubin method.
Mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentrations (MCHCs), and mean cell volumes (MCVs) were calculated manually.
All of the infected birds had typical histopathologic findings of avian mycobacteriosis, which were confirmed using microbiologic and molecular methods to detect MAA.
The hematologic data from the two groups were compared.
The total WBC, heterophil, lymphocyte, and monocyte counts were significantly higher, and the PCV, HGB, MCH, and MCHC values were significantly lower in the infected birds compared with the clinically healthy pigeons.
Impact of Subclinical Haemoproteus columbae Infection on Farmed Domestic Pigeons from Central Java (Yogyakarta), Indonesia, with Special Reference to Changes in the Hemogram
Pigeon haemoproteosis caused by Haemoproteus columbae (Apicomplexa: Haemosporida: Haemoproteidae) is globally prevalent in rock doves (Columba livia), although little is known regarding this disease in pigeons and doves in Indonesia.
Blood samples of 35 farmed domestic pigeons (C. livia f. domestica) from four localities in Yogyakarta Special Region, Central Java, Indonesia, were collected from March to June, 2016, subjected to a hemogram, and analyzed for the presence of hemoprotozoan infections.
Microscopic examination of blood smears revealed a prevalence of 62.5-100% of H. columbae at the four localities (n = 8-10 for each locality), and geometric means of 3.0-5.6% of erythrocytes were parasitized by young and mature gametocytes, suggesting that all infected pigeons were in the chronic phase of infection with repeated recurrences and/or reinfections.
Nucleotide sequencing of mitochondrial cytochrome b gene (cytb) for haemosporidian species demonstrated the distribution of four major cytb lineages of H. columbae (mainly HAECOL1, accompanied by COLIV03, COQUI05, and CXNEA02 according to the MalAvi database).
Hemogram analysis, involving the estimation of packed cell volume, erythrocyte counts, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, and plasma protein and fibrinogen levels of 20 parasitized pigeons and five non-infected pigeons demonstrated significant macrocytic hypochromic anemia with hypoproteinemia and hyperfibrinogenemia in the infected pigeons.
This study shows the profound impact of long-lasting subclinical pigeon haemoproteosis caused by H. columbae on the health of farmed domestic pigeons.
Genomic insights into natural selection in the common loon (Gavia immer): evidence for aquatic adaptation.
The common loon (Gavia immer) is one of five species that comprise the avian order Gaviiformes. Loons are specialized divers, reaching depths up to 60 m while staying submerged for intervals up to three minutes.
In this study we used comparative genomics to investigate the genetic basis of the common loon adaptations to its ecological niche. We used Illumina short read DNA sequence data from a female bird to produce a draft assembly of the common loon (Gavia immer) genome.
We identified 14,169 common loon genes, which based on well-resolved avian genomes, represent approximately 80.7% of common loon genes.
Evolutionary analyses between common loon and Adelie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae), red-throated loon (Gavia stellata), chicken (Gallus gallus), northern fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis), and rock pigeon (Columba livia) show 164 positively selected genes in common and red-throated loons.
These genes were enriched for a number of protein classes, including those involved in muscle tissue development, immunoglobulin function, hemoglobin iron binding, G-protein coupled receptors, and ATP metabolism.
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Signatures of positive selection in these areas suggest the genus Gavia may have adapted for underwater diving by modulating their oxidative and metabolic pathways. While more research is required, these adaptations likely result in
(1) compensations in oxygen respiration and energetic metabolism,
(2) low-light visual acuity, and
(3) elevated solute exchange.
This work represents the first effort to understand the genomic adaptations of the common loon as well as other Gavia and may have implications for subsequent studies that target particular genes for loon population genetic, ecological or conservation studies.