Family: Picornaviridae
Genus: Poecivirus
Distinguishing features
The genus is distinguished on the basis of genetic characters.
Virion
Morphology
No details are available on the morphology of virions.
Nucleic acid
Genome (Zylberberg et al., 2016): 7,653 nt (5′-UTR: 788 nt; ORF: 6,780 nt; 3′-UTR: 85 nt). The location of the cre has not been identified.
Genome organization and replication
Genome layout:
VPg+5′-UTRIRES-[1AB-1C-1D/2A-2B-2C/3A-3B-3C-3D]-3′-UTR-poly(A)
The deduced polyprotein is of 2,260 aa. The genome encodes no L protein. 1AB remains uncleaved. The function of the 2A protein is unknown.
Biology
No virus has been isolated. Viral RNA has been detected in tissue samples (mandible) of diseased black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) in Anchorage and the Matanuska-Sustna Valley, Alaska, USA. The virus is suspected to cause the avian keratin disorder (AKD).
Derivation of names
Poecivirus: refers to the host Poecile atricapillus (black-capped chickadee).
Species demarcation criteria
There is only a single species in the genus.