Long-term maintenance of a <i>Deltacoronavirus</i> infecting multiple bird species in Antarctica.

ABSTRACT: Antarctica's pristine environment and wildlife are of immense biological value, but the spread of viruses poses a substantial threat to the region's fragile ecosystems. To investigate the presence of viruses in the region, we sampled the feces of different wild migratory birds at various localities in the South Shetland Islands and screened them for coronaviruses (CoVs) and avian influenza viruses (AIVs). Viral screening was performed by the conventional pancoronavirus RT-PCR protocol (CoVs), by one-step real-time RT-PCR (AIVs) followed by metatranscriptomic sequencing of positive samples. During January and February of 2023, we collected and examined 243 fecal samples representing skuas (Stercorarius spp.), kelp gulls (Larus dominicanus), Antarctic shags (Phalacrocorax br

SUBMITTER: Gomes F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12323614 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature