Monitoring of Wild birds for Newcastle Disease Virus in Switzerland Using Real Time RT-PCR

• Published in: Journal of wildlife diseases Vol. 44; no. 3; pp. 772 - 776
• Main Authors: Camenisch, Glauco, Bandli, Risch, Hoop, Richard
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Wildlife Disease Association 01.07.2008; Wildlife Dis Assoc
• Subjects: Animals; Animals, Wild; Animals, Wild - virology; Aves; Avian orthoavulavirus 1; Avian paramyxovirus-1; Birds; disease detection; disease prevalence; Disease Reservoirs; Disease Reservoirs - veterinary; Disease Reservoirs - virology; disease surveillance; epidemiology; Female; isolation & purification; Male; Newcastle disease; Newcastle Disease - epidemiology; Newcastle disease virus; Newcastle disease virus - isolation & purification; real time RT-PCR; reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction - veterinary; Sentinel Surveillance; Sentinel Surveillance - veterinary; SHORT COMMUNICATIONS; Species Specificity; Switzerland; Switzerland - epidemiology; veterinary; virology; wild birds; Switzerland
• ISSN: 0090-3558; 1943-3700
• DOI: 10.7589/0090-3558-44.3.772

Wild birds are considered to be the natural reservoir of the Newcastle disease virus (NDV; avian paramyxovirus-1) causing Newcastle disease, and are often suspected to be involved in outbreaks in domesticated birds. To assess the epidemiologic status of wild birds living, or overwintering, in Switzerland, 3,049 cloacal swabs covering the period 2003–2006 were screened for NDV, using real time RT-PCR. All samples were negative. This result seems in contrast with previously performed serologic screenings of wild birds.