Abstract / Summary
Pigeon paramyxovirus 1 (PPMV-1) comprises pigeon-associated variants of Newcastle disease virus (NDV), predominantly belonging to genotypes VI, XX, and XXI. These viruses have been detected in feral pigeons in Brazil since at least 2014, and an NDV outbreak associated with a pigeon-origin genotype VI virus was reported in commercial broilers in 2024. Here, we characterized two PPMV-1 strains detected in pigeons samples from geographically distinct regions of Brazil. Virus BR/105/21 was detected in Midwestern Brazil, whereas BR/34/22 was detected in Southeastern Brazil. Genome sequencing yielded a complete genome sequence for BR/105/21 (15,192 nt; 100% reference-genome coverage; mean depth, 3334×) and a near-complete genome sequence for BR/34/22 (15,133 nt; 99.5% reference-genome coverage; mean depth, 20.8×). Both viruses possessed the F-protein cleavage-site motif ^113RQKR↓F^117, which is consistent with the molecular criterion for virulent NDV. Phylogenetic analysis based on the complete F-gene coding sequence grouped both viruses with PPMV-1 previously detected in Brazil between 2014 and 2019. Analysis of VI.2.1.2 sequences identified three well-supported phylogenetic groups with between-group nucleotide distances of 6.1–8.0%. Based on established NDV classification criteria, two groups are proposed as VI.2.1.2.1, comprising viruses from Nigeria detected between 2007 and 2015, and VI.2.1.2.2, comprising Brazilian viruses detected between 2014 and 2022 and one virus detected in Argentina in 1997. These findings expand the available genetic data for pigeon-associated NDV in South America and reveal substantial genetic heterogeneity and phylogenetic structure within VI.2.1.2, reinforcing the importance of genomic surveillance of NDV in pigeons.