Molecular detection of coronavirus in wild birds from Lima, Peru.

Coronaviruses are globally prevalent pathogens affecting diverse animal species, both domestic and wild. In birds, these viruses can cause respiratory, digestive, and reproductive diseases, with the severity of signs depending on the species, viral strain, and environment. Wild animals play a crucial role in the ecology of coronaviruses, acting as natural hosts or reservoirs of species that can be pathogenic to them or to domestic birds. This study aimed to molecularly identify coronaviruses in wild birds seized and rescued by the National Forest and Wildlife Service (SERFOR) in Lima, Peru. Oropharyngeal and cloacal swab samples from 131 wild birds were tested molecularly using a PCR that targets the coronavirus RdRp gene. Six rescued birds, belonging to the orders Accipitriformes, Pelecaniformes, and Suliformes, tested positive, three from cloacal swabs and three from oropharyngeal swabs. RdRp gene analysis revealed the presence of three coronavirus genera. A Deltacoronavirus showing 99.0% similarity to falcon coronavirus was detected in a Harris’s hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus), and a Gammacoronavirus with 97.3% similarity to duck coronavirus was identified in two Peruvian pelicans (Pelecanus thagus). Two Peruvian boobies (Sula variegata) and one Harris’s hawk harbored an Alphacoronavirus sharing 99.1% identity to porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV). The results demonstrated a variety of coronaviruses in wild bird of Peru, including those closely related to viruses circulating in domestic animals. This underlines the potential risks associated with interspecies transmission and the implications for environmental contamination.