Isolation of a coronavirus from a green-cheeked Amazon parrot (Amazon viridigenalis Cassin)

A virus (AV71/99) was isolated from a green-cheeked Amazon parrot by propagation and passage in both primary embryo liver cells derived from blue and yellow macaw (Ara ararauna) embryos and chicken embryo liver cells. Electron microscopic examination of cytopathic agents derived from both types of cell cultures suggested that it was a coronavirus. This was confirmed using a pan-coronavirus reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction that amplified part of gene 1 that encodes the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. The deduced sequence of 66 amino acids had 66 to 74% amino acid identity with the corresponding sequence of coronaviruses in groups 1, 2 and 3. Several other oligonucleotide primer pairs that give PCR products corresponding to genes 3, 5, N and the 3'-untranslated region of infectious bronchitis virus, turkey coronavirus and pheasant coronavirus (all in group 3) failed to do so with RNA from the parrot coronavirus. This is the first demonstration of a coronavirus in a psittacine species.