Pathological and epidemiological significance of goose haemorrhagic polyomavirus infection in ducks

Goose haemorrhagic polyomavirus (GHPV) is the viral agent of haemorrhagic nephritis enteritis of geese, a lethal disease of goslings. It was recently shown that GHPV can also be detected in Muscovy and mule ducks. The goal of the present study was to investigate the pathobiology of GHPV in ducks. In the first experiment, field isolates of GHPV from Muscovy or mule ducks were fully sequenced and compared with goose GHPV. These duck isolates were then used to inoculate 1-day-old goslings. Typical clinical signs and lesions of haemorrhagic nephritis enteritis of geese were reproduced, indicating that "duck-GHPV" isolates are virulent in geese. In the second experiment, 1-day-old and 21-day-old Muscovy ducklings were infected by a reference GHPV strain. In both cases, neither clinical signs nor histopathological lesions were observed. However, the virus was detected in cloacal bursae and sera, and serological responses were detected at 12 days post infection. These findings suggest firstly that one common genotype of GHPV circulates among ducks and geese, and secondly that ducks may be infected by GHPV but show no pathologic evidence of infection, whereas geese express clinical signs. GHPV infection should therefore be considered as being carried in ducks and of epidemiological relevance in cases of contact with goose flocks.