Limited evidence of intercontinental dispersal of avian paramyxovirus serotype 4 by migratory birds

•This phylogenetic study of APMV-4 includes 58 new sequences from Europe, Asia and North America.•Fusion gene sequences formed five major clades; four of which were comprised of APMV-4 viruses from a single continent.•Limited evidence was detected for the intercontinental movement of APMV-4 via migratory birds.

Avian paramyxovirus serotype 4 (APMV-4) is a single stranded RNA virus that has most often been isolated from waterfowl. Limited information has been reported regarding the prevalence, pathogenicity, and genetic diversity of AMPV-4. To assess the intercontinental dispersal of this viral agent, we sequenced the fusion gene of 58 APMV-4 isolates collected in the United States, Japan and the Ukraine and compared them to all available sequences on GenBank. With only a single exception the phylogenetic clades of APMV-4 sequences were monophyletic with respect to their continents of origin (North America, Asia and Europe). Thus, we detected limited evidence for recent intercontinental dispersal of APMV-4 in this study.