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.