The first identification of Tembusu virus in a Pekin duck farm in Taiwan

Abstract

In this study, Tembusu virus (TMUV) 1080905 isolate was isolated from 29-week-old breeder Pekin ducks in Taiwan in 2019. Clinical history showed that the clinical features were a temporary decrease in egg production, decline of feed uptake, watery diarrhea, nervous signs and sporadic mortality. Necropsy findings were congestion, hyperemia and hemorrhage of the ovary follicles, swollen spleen and deposits of fibrinous exudate on the pericardium and the liver capsule. The polyprotein gene of TMUV 1080905 was 10,278 nucleotides long, encoded 3425 amino acids and exhibited 99.3% nucleotide similarity and 99.7% amino acid similarity with Taiwanese mosquito-derived isolate TMUV TP1906. Our phylogenetic analysis revealed that the Taiwanese TMUVs were grouped together with Malaysian TMUV (chicken-derived Sitiawan virus and the TMUV prototype strain MM1775). To our knowledge, this is the first report of duck-derived TMUV in Taiwan. Further studies of the pathogenicity and host range of the TMUV 1080905 are required. Research Highlights: First identification of Tembusu virus in Pekin ducks in Taiwan. Investigation of the phylogeny of TMUV 1080905 isolate from Pekin ducks in Taiwan.