Novel Coronavirus Identified in Broiler Chickens with Severe Enteritis in France
Researchers identified a previously unknown coronavirus causing severe enteritis outbreaks in broiler chicken farms in southwestern France between late 2024 and 2025. The virus, termed ChECoV, is a gammacoronavirus genetically distinct from known poultry coronaviruses like infectious bronchitis virus. The discovery expands understanding of coronavirus host-range in poultry and may inform disease prevention strategies in commercial chicken farming.
Between late 2024 and 2025, broiler farms in southwestern France experienced severe enteritis outbreaks characterized by increased mortality, wet litter, cyanosis, lethargy, and high slaughter condemnation rates. Necropsy and histopathology confirmed diffuse enteritis and dehydration. Metagenomic sequencing identified coronavirus as the sole pathogenic viral signal, with whole-genome phylogenetic analysis revealing a novel gammacoronavirus lineage (ChECoV) closely related to guinea fowl coronavirus but distinct from infectious bronchitis virus and turkey coronavirus. Viral RNA was detected in enterocytes via RNAscope in situ hybridization, and electron microscopy confirmed coronavirus-like particles. While the findings establish ChECoV as a new enteric pathogen in chickens, the mechanisms driving its host-range expansion from other poultry species remain unclear.
What's missing
The study does not address the epidemiological drivers of the host-range expansion into chickens, the geographic extent of ChECoV beyond southwestern France, potential transmission routes, or whether the virus poses risks to other poultry species or humans. The authors acknowledge that mechanisms underlying the host-range shift remain to be elucidated.
What different sources said
- bioRxivCenter
A novel coronavirus associated with enteritis in broiler chickens, France, 2025
Related
Gut Bacteria Enzyme Found to Break Down Heat-Processed Food Compounds, Producing Novel Biogenic Amines
Researchers have discovered that an enzyme in common gut bacteria can degrade N-epsilon-carboxymethyllysine (CML), a compound formed during thermal food processing, producing previously unknown biogenic amines. The enzyme, ornithine decarboxylase SpeC from enterobacteria, acts on CML and related modified lysine derivatives through a low-level 'underground' catalytic activity. This finding suggests a previously unrecognized communication axis between thermally processed dietary compounds and gut microbial physiology, with potential implications for host health.
Full-Length Gene Sequencing Reveals Two Distinct Bacterial Communities in Black-Legged Ticks Expanding Into Canada
Researchers used Oxford Nanopore full-length 16S rRNA gene sequencing to characterize the microbiome of Ixodes scapularis black-legged ticks collected in Nova Scotia, Canada, distinguishing between tick-adapted bacteria and environmentally acquired bacteria. The study comes as I. scapularis — the primary vector of Lyme disease — is rapidly expanding northward into Canada due to climate change. The findings suggest that environmentally derived bacteria in tick microbiomes are not mere contamination, which has implications for how tick microbiome data is collected and interpreted across surveillance studies.
Study Identifies Metabolic Link Between Cell Envelope Stress and Biofilm Formation in Bacteria
Researchers have discovered that the metabolite acetyl-CoA directly inhibits enzymes that degrade the bacterial signaling molecule c-di-GMP, connecting cell envelope biosynthesis stress to biofilm formation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The study found that sub-inhibitory concentrations of antibiotics targeting early peptidoglycan biosynthesis — but not other antibiotic classes — elevate c-di-GMP levels by reducing phosphodiesterase activity, with acetyl-CoA competing for the enzyme active site. Because the relevant enzyme domain is broadly conserved across bacterial species, this checkpoint mechanism may be widespread and could have implications for understanding antibiotic-induced biofilm responses.