CORONAVIRUS SEROLOGICAL SURVEY IN REARED AND FREE-LIVING PHEASANTS (PHASIANUS COLCHICUS) IN ITALY

Pheasant coronavirus (PhCoV) has been isolated in the UK and Italy in the last few decades. A serological survey was carried out in the Emilia-Romagna Region (Northern Italy) in order to establish the occurrence and spread of coronavirus infection in farm-bred and free-living pheasants. Seven hundred and four sera were obtained during 1998 from 16 game farms. 275 sera were collected from 1995 to 2002 from free-living pheasants, belonging to a natural population: these were classified as “wild” and “restocked” (a few reared birds released in the study area). A blocking ELISA (Svanovir®) test was employed for the detection of antibodies cross reactive to Infectious Bronchitis Virus in sera. Seropositive animals were detected in 5 out 16 game farms examined, while only two free-living pheasants (a restocked bird and an unclassified one) were seropositive. These data confirm that the infection was present in Italian-reared pheasants, but the free-living sampled population appeared to be free from the infection. The authors emphasise the risk of spreading the infection to wild bird populations by game restocking activities.