title: The indirect immunofluorescence assay using cardiac tissue from chickens, quails and ducks for identification of influenza A virus during an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (H5N1): a rapid and simple screening tool for limited resource settings.
abstract: Here we describe the diagnostic utility of the indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) during a recent outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) subtype H5N1 virus in southern Thailand and demonstrate the usefulness of the cardiac tissue from infected chickens, quail, and ducks for diagnosis. The most reliable sample for IFA diagnosis of influenza A virus was cardiac tissue (83.0%; 44/53) which when divided by species (chicken, quail and duck cardiac tissues) gave respective positivity rates of 88% (22/25), 88.9% (16/18) and 60.0% (6/10). Cardiac tissue also gave the highest IFA intensity for the three species. We believe that the IFA method has wide applicability in developing countries or remote settings where clinically similar avian diseases with high morbidity and mortality such as Newcastle disease and fowl cholera are common and could be rapidly excluded thereby conserving valuable reference laboratory capacity for true HPAI outbreaks.
authors.affiliation: Southern Veterinary Research and Development Center, Tung song, Nakhon Si Thammarat 80110, Thailand.
authors.forename: Chongmas
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Antarasena
authors.forename: Rungtiva
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sirimujalin
authors.forename: Porntip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Prommuang
authors.forename: Naruepol
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Promkuntod
authors.forename: Praison
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Prommuang
authors.forename: Stuart D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Blacksell
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens / Q000821:virology*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000662:veterinary; D004372:Ducks / Q000821:virology*; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect / Q000191:economics / Q000662:veterinary*; D006321:Heart / Q000821:virology; D053124:Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005585:Influenza in Birds / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D011784:Quail / Q000821:virology*; D013785:Thailand / Q000453:epidemiology; D013997:Time Factors