TwoSpecies Discovered in Psittaciformes Expand the Host Range of the Family.

Abstract

Metatranscriptomics has recently revealed greater species richness and host range of thegenus, quadrupling the number of avian orders known to host them in less than a decade. Despite this growing awareness of astrovirus presence in wild birds, limited attention has been paid to these viruses in the context of disease in Australian avifauna. Here we used unbiased RNA sequencing of intestinal samples from a galah () and an Australian king parrot () with a chronic diarrhoeal and wasting disease to detect the entire genomes of two novel astrovirus species. We propose naming these viruses(PQ893528) and(PQ893527). The phylogenetic positions of these viruses highlight the importance of current and future metatranscriptomic virus screening in investigations of avian host landscapes beyond. This is also the first documentation of avastrovirus infections in Psittaciformes and the first to report their potential role as disease agents in them.