Evaluation of the relationship between the composition of the gastrointestinal virobiome and the incidence of enteropathy in racing pigeons

Digestive tract disorders can be considered a significant issue in pigeons which is also suspected to be caused by viruses. To date, information on occurrence and role of viruses in pigeons with enteropathies is very limited.Based on previous studies on the enteral biome of pigeons and other birds, it is suspected thatastroviruses, picornaviruses, parvoviruses, coronaviruses and/or reoviruses may be isolated from thedigestive tract of pigeons. The presence of these viruses in birds may contribute to enteropathies inwhich the severity of symptoms could be directly proportional to the number of isolated virions.The scientific aim of this Project is to investigate which viruses inhabit the gastrointestinal tractof young racing pigeons and does their presence and/or number is correlated with the occurrence ofenteropathies in these birds. Our goal is to define the viral biome of the gastrointestinal tract of racingpigeons of different health status, as well as to attempt to determine the potential dominant genotype ofindividual viruses detected in birds of different health condition.Investigations with the use of the latest molecular biology methods (Next Generation Sequencing, digital droplet PCR) that are planned for this Project will be the first attempt of addressing the role of certain viruses in the development of gastrointestinal tract diseases in racing pigeons, which emphasizes theinnovatory character of the Project. This will hopefully allow to understand the etiology of one of the digestive tract disorders. The obtained results could form the basis for future research aimed at developing methods of prevention or eradication of those pathogens by developing vaccines or non-specific prevention programs.