Necrotic Hepatitis Associated with Phasianus Chaphamaparvovirus 1 and Coccidiosis Coinfection in Pheasant Chicks (Phasianus colchicus) in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Phasianus chaphamaparvovirus 1 is a newly recognized pathogen associated with high mortality in young pheasant chicks with significant losses for pheasant breeders. Here we present an outbreak of necrotizing hepatitis with high mortality in a flock of young pheasant chicks in Bosnia and Herzegovina associated with Phasianus chaphamaparvovirus 1 and coccidiosis coinfection. Severe necrotizing hepatitis with characteristic intranuclear inclusion bodies in affected hepatocytes was observed on microscopic examination. In addition, multifocal areas of intestinal mucosal necrosis with numerous developing stages (meronts) of coccidia were present. Phasianus chaphamaparvovirus 1 was detected with qPCR from the livers of diseased birds. Our report represents the first data on the presence of this new virus in pheasant flocks in the Balkan region and suggests that the virus is widespread across Europe. It further supports the inclusion of Chaphamaparvovirus as a differential diagnosis of pheasant mortality outbreaks both in breeding facilities and in the wild.