Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) and avian metapneumovirus (aMPV) are two of the most relevant poultry pathogens, causing severe economic losses associated mainly, albeit not solely, to respiratory syndromes leading to decreased productive performance and increased mortality. Aside from biosecurity and good management practices, the control of both diseases relies on routine vaccination, whose effectiveness may be hampered by the remarkable variability of these viruses. The high mutation and recombination rates led to the emergence of a plethora of different IBV variants characterized by poor cross-protection, often requiring the administration of multiple vaccines based on different strains to achieve a proper immunization. Likewise, aMPV also shows a high heterogeneity and poses similar challenges. In epidemiological contexts like Europe, such evolutionary processes may be further exacerbated by the intensive poultry farming conditions and the diverse features of the sector’s value chain in different countries.

To cope with this mutable epidemiological scenario and inform the planning of suitable control strategies, the aim of the present research topic is to ensure an attentive and coordinated IBV and aMPV monitoring through the use of molecular methods, either well-established or newly developed.
Furthermore, their viral population features and how they are affected by different control strategies will be investigated by performing phylogenetic and phylodynamic analyses.

Five publications related to the Research Topic for the candidate interview

1. Valastro V, Holmes EC, Britton P, Fusaro A, Jackwood MW, Cattoli G, Monne I., 2016. S1 gene-based phylogeny of infectious bronchitis virus: An attempt to harmonize virus classification. Infect Genet Evol. 39:349-364. doi: 10.1016/j.meegid.2016.02.015. Epub 2016 Feb 12.
2. Petzoldt D, Vogel N, Bielenberg W, Haneke J, Bischoff H, Liman M, Rönchen S, Behr KP, Menke T., 2022. IB80-A Novel Infectious Bronchitis Virus Genotype (GVIII). Avian Dis. 66(3):1-8. doi: 10.1637/aviandiseases-D-22-00020
3. Brown P.A., Allée C., Courtillon C., Szerman N., Lemaitre E., Toquin D., Mangart J.M., Amelot M., Eterradossi N. (2019). Host specificity of avian metapneumoviruses. Avian Pathology, 48(4): 311-318.
4. Goraichuk IV, Torchetti MK, Killian ML, Kapczynski DR, Sary K, Kulkarni A, Suarez DL. (2024). Introduction of Avian metapneumovirus subtype A to the United States: molecular insights and implications. Front Microbiol. 2024 Jul 5;15:1428248. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1428248
5. Luqman M, Duhan N, Temeeyasen G, Selim M, Jangra S, Mor SK. (2024). Geographical Expansion of Avian Metapneumovirus Subtype B: First Detection and Molecular Characterization of Avian Metapneumovirus Subtype B in US Poultry. Viruses. 2024 Mar 26;16(4):508. doi: 10.3390/v16040508

Tutor: Prof. Mattia Cecchinato
mail: mattia.cecchinato@unipd.it