Pigeon paramyxovirus type 1 in feral pigeons in Victoria by Mr Thitiwit Noinamtieng

Presented: Tuesday 19 July 2022

Presenter: Dr Thitiwit Noinamtieng DVM

Host: A/Prof. Simon Firestone BVSc PostgradDipEpi MAppEpi PhD

Topic: ‘Pigeon paramyxovirus type 1 in feral pigeons in Victoria'

In This Talk: Pigeon paramyxovirus type 1 (PPMV-1) is a variant strain of avian paramyxovirus type 1 (synonymous as Newcastle disease virus; NDV). These viruses are important for poultry production and trading. PPMV-1 was first detected in the Middle East in the 1970s and came to Australia in 2011. In Australia, PPMV-1 was first found in racing pigeons in Victoria before spreading to other states. This study aims to estimate prevalence of PPMV-1 in feral pigeons in Victoria, and to investigate the potential routes of virus shedding. A total of 204 feral pigeons from 14 locations were calculated, and feral pigeons were collected by trapping, alpha-chloralose bait, and pest controller provided. Each of the pigeons sampled was collected serum, oropharyngeal swab, and cloacal swab. Pigeon sera were tested by hemagglutination inhibition test (HI) while swabs were performed PCR and virus isolation. The results showed that feral pigeons in Victoria had estimated apparent seroprevalence of 45% (CI 38,53) while estimated true prevalence of 53.9% (CI 44.7,64.4). There were three positive cloacal swabs but no positive on oropharyngeal swabs. The genetic analysis found that a virus isolated from this study had the F gene sequence "112-RRQKRF-117" which were close to the virus isolated in the 2011 outbreak in Victoria.

About the Presenter: Dr Thitiwit Noinamtieng has been a research Masters student. He graduated with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) in Thailand. Previously, he worked with a food standard organisation under the Ministry of Agriculture in Thailand, before securing a Royal Thai Government scholarship to study his Master’s degree in Australia. This is his Master’s completion seminar.

Melbourne Veterinary School Seminar Series Enquiries: admin-vetbiosciences@unimelb.edu.au

Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences: https://fvas.unimelb.edu.au