Virological and serological surveillance for type A influenza in the black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla).
BACKGROUND
The epidemiology of avian influenza viruses (AIVs) in gulls is only partially known. The role of the world's most numerous gull species, the black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla), as a potential AIV reservoir species has been unclear. The prevalence of AIV and humoral response against AIV were therefore studied in a colony of apparently healthy black-legged kittiwakes breeding in a nesting cliff in the South West Barents Region of Norway (70°22' N, 31°10' E), in 2008 and 2009.


RESULTS
AIVs were detected from the oropharynx and cloaca in low amounts, with prevalences of 15% and 5%, in 2008 and 2009, respectively. Direct, partial sequencing of the hemagglutinin (HA) gene revealed that the H4 subtype was present. In 2009, antibodies to influenza A virus were detected in sera from 57 of 80 adult birds. In contrast, none of the three-week-old chicks (n = 18) tested seropositive. Hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assays demonstrated that the adult kittiwakes primarily had antibodies specific to the gull-associated H13 and H16 subtypes, with antibodies to H16 being most common.


CONCLUSIONS
These results support that the highly pelagic black-legged kittiwake is a reservoir of AIV. The serological findings suggest that H16 might be the main AIV subtype in the black-legged kittiwake. Further studies are needed to understand the ecology of AIV in the black-legged kittiwake and in gulls in general.
Department of Food Safety & Infection Biology, Norwegian School of Veterinary Science, PO Box 8146 Dep, N-0033 Oslo, Norway. ragnhild.tonnessen@nvh.no
Ragnhild
R
Toennessen
Anna
A
Germundsson
Christine M
CM
Jonassen
Irene
I
Haugen
Kristin
K
Berg
Robert T
RT
Barrett
Espen
E
Rimstad
D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D046091:Charadriiformes / Q000821:virology*; D002988:Cloaca / Q000821:virology; D006385:Hemagglutination Inhibition Tests; D019267:Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus / Q000235:genetics; D009980:Influenza A virus / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005585:Influenza in Birds / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D009960:Oropharynx / Q000821:virology; D015995:Prevalence; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D019267:Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus
Acta Vet Scand. 2010 Apr 28;52:28
20426812
J Mol Genet Med. 2008 Oct 15;3(1):121-3
19565016
Virol J. 2009 Nov 05;6:190
19891786
Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2010 Nov;10(9):915-20
20370426
J Clin Microbiol. 2002 Sep;40(9):3256-60
12202562
Virol J. 2010 Feb 19;7:43
20167132
Virol J. 2008 Jun 04;5:71
18533040
J Anim Ecol. 2007 Nov;76(6):1215-23
17922718
J Wildl Dis. 2010 Jul;46(3):896-911
20688695
Avian Dis. 2010 Mar;54(1 Suppl):411-9
20521671
Nature. 2005 Jul 14;436(7048):191-2
16007072
J Wildl Dis. 2008 Apr;44(2):351-61
18436667
PLoS Pathog. 2007 Nov;3(11):e167
17997603
Vopr Virusol. 2009 Jul-Aug;54(4):10-8
19708549
Emerg Infect Dis. 2007 Mar;13(3):404-11
17552093
Arch Virol. 2000;145(5):1047-58
10881690
Virology. 2010 Oct 25;406(2):352-9
20709346
J Virol. 2005 Mar;79(5):2814-22
15709000
J Virol. 1986 May;58(2):655-6
3701925
Science. 2006 Apr 21;312(5772):384-8
16627734
J Virol Methods. 2004 Dec 1;122(1):119-22
15488629
PLoS Pathog. 2007 May 11;3(5):e61
17500589
Zh Mikrobiol Epidemiol Immunobiol. 2010 Jan-Feb;(1):29-32
20218341
Avian Dis. 2007 Mar;51(1 Suppl):373-7
17494587
Virology. 1988 Mar;163(1):247-50
3348002
Emerg Infect Dis. 2009 Jul;15(7):1147-9
19624950
J Clin Microbiol. 2009 Mar;47(3):666-73
19109483
Avian Dis. 2010 Mar;54(1 Suppl):729-33
20521723
Microbiol Rev. 1992 Mar;56(1):152-79
1579108
Virology. 2008 Sep 1;378(2):363-70
18632129
Science. 2006 Mar 17;311(5767):1576-80
16439620
J Virol. 1982 Jun;42(3):865-72
7097861
J Hyg (Lond). 1966 Sep;64(3):309-20
5223681
Virology. 1993 Jun;194(2):781-8
7684877
Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2008 Dec;8(6):783-90
18637721
Virology. 1978 Feb;84(2):268-78
23604
J Clin Microbiol. 2000 Nov;38(11):4096-101
11060074