Birds Belonging to the Family Paridae as Another Potential Reservoir of Murine Gammaherpesvirus 68.

Ecology and epidemiology of murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV-68) have been intensively studied since the isolation of the virus from murid rodents in 1976. This virus was detected in various mammalian species that share the biotope with rodent reservoirs of MHV-68. However, a survey of MHV-68 in birds has not so far been performed. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the presence of MHV-68 in blood samples from two bird species captured at four localities in Slovakia. Using the nested PCR targeting ORF50 gene of MHV-68, we confirmed the presence of MHV-68 DNA in 9 out of 57 blood samples from Great tits (Parus major) (prevalence 15.8%, confidence interval [95% CI]: 8.5-27.4) and in 3 out of 43 blood samples from Eurasian blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) (prevalence 7.0%, 95% CI: 2.4-18.6). Our results suggest that not only mammals but also birds may serve as reservoirs for MHV-68, providing further evidence that MHV-68 is capable of frequent cross-species transmission.