Avian rotaviruses were isolated from feral pigeon faeces treated with trypsin using roller tube cultures of mammalian cells. Two pigeon strains, designated as strains PO-8 and PO-13, produced a marked cytopathic effect (CPE), small intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies and high titres of infectious particles in infected MA-104 and MDBK cell lines without cell adaptation and roller drum apparatus. The pigeon rotaviruses shared a common group specific antigen with the Lincoln strain of bovine rotavirus by indirect immunofluorescence, but differed from both the Lincoln strain and the Wa strain of human rotavirus in neutralization tests.
The RNA segment profile of this virus on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis differed from that of group A mammalian rotaviruses. The results of a serological survey suggested that antibody to pigeon rotaviruses was widespread in avian species in Japan.
