Pigeon Pox: A Common Yet Manageable Disease

Introduction Pigeon pox is a well-documented and infectious viral disease affecting pigeons worldwide. It is caused by the pigeon pox virus, a member of the Avipoxvirus genus in the subfamily Chordopoxvirinae and Poxviridae family (Weli and Tryland, 2011). Avipoxvirus, double-stranded, enveloped DNA virus affects chickens, turkeys, ducks, and wild birds. It causes a slowly progressing disease with moderate to severe pathology. This disease have a substantial impact on pigeon populations, especially in urban environments where birds live in close proximity leading to significant morbidity and mortality among all age groups and sexes. Most commonly, this disease in pigeons is self-limiting but young or immune-compromised pigeons are more susceptible to severe infections (Hibl et al., 2019). The pigeon pox virus is pathogenic to pigeons mainly but causes mild infections in chickens and turkeys. It is reported that pigeons can be experimentally infected with other viruses of genus Avipoxvirus i.e. fowl, turkey, and canary poxvirus (Weli and Tryland, 2011).