Complete genome sequence of avian coronavirus strain GA08 (GI-27 Lineage)

Authors: GORAICHUK, IRYNA - Consultant; DAVID, JAMES - Georgia Poultry Laboratory Network; KULKARNI, ARUN - Georgia Poultry Laboratory Network; Afonso, Claudio; Suarez, David

Submitted to: Microbiology Resource Announcements
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/3/2020
Publication Date: 2/27/2020
Citation: Goraichuk, I.V., David, J.F., Kulkarni, A.B., Afonso, C.L., Suarez, D.L. 2020. Complete genome sequence of avian coronavirus strain GA08 (GI-27 Lineage). Microbiology Resource Announcements. 9(9):e00068-20. https://doi.org/10.1128/MRA.00068-20.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1128/MRA.00068-20

Interpretive Summary: Avian coronavirus, commonly known as infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), is a member of the genus Gammacoronavirus, family Coronaviridae, order Nidovirales (1-3). IBV is a highly infectious and contagious pathogen that primarily replicates in the respiratory tract but may also replicate in the kidney and reproductive tract, causing renal dysfunction and decreased egg production, respectively (4). Since the first identification of IBV in the 1930s in the United States, more than 20 different serotypes and variants have been identified worldwide (5, 6). In 2007-2008, an outbreak of bronchitis in North-Georgia, USA broilers lead to the identification of a new IBV strain designated GA08, that was further classified into the separate lineage GI-27 (7, 8). Clinical signs and lesions associated with this virus are generally mild and consist of conjunctivitis, mild tracheitis and abdominal airsacculitis. The GA08 IBV strain has since been isolated on farms in Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky (9, 10). Over the past years, its incidence and severity have increased dramatically, resulting in significant losses. To date, only partial viral genomes of the GA08 strain viruses are available in public databases (7, 8). In this study, we report the first complete sequence of the IBV GA08 strain. In an effort to characterize this strain, sequence analysis was performed on the complete genome. This study provides the first complete genome sequence for IBV strain GA08 of the GI-27 lineage. This complete genome sequence information of this particular strain of virus isolate would be useful for in-depth understanding of the IBV evolution as well as facilitate future development of new vaccines.

Technical Abstract: Avian coronavirus, also known as infectious bronchitis virus, is a highly contagious respiratory pathogen of chickens that is responsible for major economic losses to the poultry industry around the globe. Here, we report the complete genome sequence of strain GA08 of the GI-27 lineage, isolated from a fecal sample from a broiler chicken collected in Georgia in 2015.