ABSTRACT
The prevalence of avian influenza viruses (AIVs) together with determination of hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) subtypes were studied in urban pigeons using a new nested RT-PCR. Both oropharyngeal and cloacal swabs from birds were collected. Altogether, screening of all samples revealed that 12% of oropharyngeal and 20% of cloacal samples were positive for AIVs. However, samples from both the oropharynx and cloaca coming from one animal were positive in only 8% of pigeons. Four different HA and NA combinations H7N3, H7N6, H9N5, and H14N8 respectively, were identified using a new nested RT-PCR.
Subject(s)
Columbidae/virology , Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus/classification , Influenza A virus/isolation & purification , Neuraminidase/genetics , Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction/methods , Animals , Cloaca/virology , Oropharynx/virologyABSTRACT
We have screened 91 migratory birds representing 32 species during the autumn of 2003 for the presence of the zoonotic pathogens Borrelia and Chlamydophila. Using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), B. burgdorferi sensu stricto was detected in cloacal swabs and, in two causes, also in throat swabs in 8 individuals (8.7 %) representing 7 birds species; B. garinii and B. afzelii were not detected. C. psittaci was detected only in cloacal swabs; 6 birds (6.6 %) from four species were found to be positive. The PCR products were sequenced and the sequences were compared phylogenetically with the gene sequences of 14 Chlamydophila strains retrieved from nucleotide databases; although the sequenced DNA was only 110 bp long, all obtained sequences created a new cluster with sublines branching from a position close to the periphery of the genus. All tested samples appear distinct within the known species and were most similar to C. felis or C. abortis.
