Isolation of an influenza virus, similar to A/Port Chalmers/1/73 (H3N2) from a common murre at Sakhalin Island in U.S.S.R. (Strain A/common murre/Sakhalin/1/74).

An influenza A virus isolated from the cloaca of a common murre was characterized antigenically as H3N2 and was most closely related to the A/Port Chalmers/1/73 strain. Serological studies of sera collected from common murres in the area of virus isolation showed that 21 per cent of the birds had antibodies to Hong Kong influenza virus.