A gyrovirus infecting a sea bird.

• Main Authors: Li, Linlin, Pesavento, Patricia A, Gaynor, Anne M, Duerr, Rebecca S, Phan, Tung Gia, Zhang, Wen, Deng, Xutao, Delwart, Eric
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: eScholarship, University of California 2015
• Subjects: Animals; Birds; Gyrovirus; Circoviridae Infections; Bird Diseases; Phylogeny; Genome; Viral; Molecular Sequence Data; Genetics; 2.2 Factors relating to the physical environment; Aetiology; Biological Sciences; Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences; Medical and Health Sciences; Virology; Fulmar; Fulmarus glacialis; Northern Fulmar
• Online Access: https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8r72g60n

We characterized the genome of a highly divergent gyrovirus (GyV8) in the spleen and uropygial gland tissues of a diseased northern fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis), a pelagic bird beached in San Francisco, California. No other exogenous viral sequences could be identified using viral metagenomics. The small circular DNA genome shared no significant nucleotide sequence identity, and only 38-42 % amino acid sequence identity in VP1, with any of the previously identified gyroviruses. GyV8 is the first member of the third major phylogenetic clade of this viral genus and the first gyrovirus detected in an avian species other than chicken.