CHALLENGES IN FIELD DIAGNOSIS OF AVIAN POXVIRUS IN WILD BIRDS

Abstract

Avian poxvirus, belonging to the family Poxviridae and the genus Avipoxvirus (APV), represents an important infectious disease affecting both wild and domestic birds and is characterized by proliferative cutaneous lesions and diphtheritic manifestations in mucosal tissues. The infection shows tropism for keratinocytes and epithelial cells, with viral replication occurring entirely within the cellular cytoplasm, resulting in epithelial hyperplasia and the formation of nodules or diphtheritic plaques. In wild birds, field diagnosis presents significant challenges, as the clinical manifestations of the disease may resemble other dermatological and respiratory conditions, potentially compromising early identification and the implementation of control measures. This study aimed to synthesize and analyze recent scientific literature regarding limitations and advances in the diagnosis of avian poxvirus in wild birds, characterizing the work as a narrative review conducted in the PubMed database, including publications from the last five years in Portuguese and English. The results indicate that although macroscopic evaluation is useful as an initial assessment, diagnostic confirmation depends on laboratory methods such as histopathology and molecular techniques, particularly Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), which enables differentiation of circulating viral clades and phylogenetic monitoring. Due to its high genetic diversity and environmental persistence in contaminated scabs, the epidemiological complexity of the virus is considerable, reinforcing the need for continuous molecular surveillance.