Pigeons (Columba livia) infected with pigeon circovirus (PiCV) have been reported worldwide. The present study diagnosed PiCV infection in tissue samples of disqualified racing pigeons in Taiwan, using molecular and microscopy diagnostics. Among the 164 dead pigeons examined, 96.95% (159/164) tested positive for PiCV. Severe histopathological lesions, with characteristic inclusions, were observed in various organs of the PiCV-infected pigeons. Multiglobular basophilic intranuclear and intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies were found in the bursa of Fabricius and non-lymphoid tissues. The present study identified, for the first time, the presence of inclusion bodies in the thyroid gland, oesophagus, gizzard, and in the third eyelid of circovirus-infected pigeons. The presence of inclusion bodies in the third eyelid and mucosa of the gizzard was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. A high detection rate of PiCV and some severe lesions evident in disqualified racing pigeons, as well as PiCV sequences in this study were highly similar with those detected in European countries suggesting an epidemiological association possibly due to imported pigeons.
Keywords: Disqualified racing pigeon; PCR; histopathology; inclusion bodies; pigeon circovirus.