Molecular Identification and Phylogenetic Analysis of a Novel Strain of Duck Picornavirus (Aalivirus) in Iran: The First Report

We detected a novel strain of picornavirus from dead backyard ducks from Gilan province, In Iran. This new isolated was demonstrated a genome like picornavirus design, specifically Aalivirus (Avihepatovirus/Avisivirus-like virus). Usually, Aalivirus were observed in domestic ducks, turkey and chickens. Ten pooled feces samples were collected from samples. We implemented partial genome sequencing of VP1 gene. We nominated the new strain as duck Aalivirus isolate UT-Ebrahimi. Based on our investigation with phylogenetic tree, we considered this strain is a member of the Aalivirus genus of picornavirus. In this study, we demonstrated that the UT-Ebrahimi is 96.23 % similar to Pacific_black_duck_megrivirus_(MK204391.1).