Investigations on Infection Status with H5 and H7 Avian Influenza Virus in Short-Distance and Long-Distance Migrant Birds in 2001

The role of migrating birds as potential vectors for avian influenza virus (AIV) was investigated. We captured 543 migrating passerines during their stopover on the island of Helgoland (North Sea) in spring and autumn 2001. These birds were sampled for avian influenza A viruses (AIV), specifically t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Avian diseases 2007-03, Vol.51 (s1), p.432-433
Main Authors: Schnebel, B, Dierschke, V, Rautenschlein, S, Ryll, M, Neumann, U
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal Migration
Animals
Aves
avian influenza
Avian influenza virus
Birds
disease detection
disease prevalence
Disease Reservoirs
Disease transmission
disease vectors
epidemiology
Fringilla coelebs
geographical variation
H5N1 subtype influenza A virus
Infections
Influenza A virus
Influenza A virus - classification
Influenza in Birds - epidemiology
Influenza in Birds - virology
migrating passerines
migratory birds
Passeriformes - virology
Phoenicurus phoenicurus
Research Note
Sea birds
serotypes
Songbirds
strain differences
strains
Sylvia borin
Time Factors
Turdus philomelos
vectors
Viruses
Waterfowl
Wild birds
zoonosis
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Summary:The role of migrating birds as potential vectors for avian influenza virus (AIV) was investigated. We captured 543 migrating passerines during their stopover on the island of Helgoland (North Sea) in spring and autumn 2001. These birds were sampled for avian influenza A viruses (AIV), specifically the subtypes H5 and H7. For virus detection, samples were taken from 1) short-distance migrants, such as chaffinches (Fringilla coelebs; n = 131) and song thrushes (Turdus philomelos; n = 169); and 2) long-distance migrants, such as garden warblers (Sylvia borin; n = 142) and common redstarts (Phoenicurus phoenicurus; n = 101). Virus isolation assays failed to identify AIV. Therefore, regarding the actual low number of samples, we speculate that the tested four species of passerines were not infected by AIV, indicating that the passerine species examined in this study may play only a minor role as potential vectors of AIV.
ISSN:0005-2086
1938-4351
DOI:10.1637/7546-033106R.1