A method to diagnose Pigeon circovirus infection in vivo.

This study describes a method to detect in vivo Pigeon circovirus (PiCV, also called Columbid circovirus, CoCV) identified recently. Blood samples of healthy and diseased pigeons were investigated. DNA was isolated from a drop of blood spotted and dried on filter paper. A nested PCR using two primer pairs from the cap gene was performed to detect PiCV. Using this method, PiCV nucleic acid was detected in 17 of 53 pigeons examined. PCR using DNA from dried blood samples is a simple, fast and reliable technique that allows detection of PiCV in vivo and facilitates collection, storage and shipment of samples.