title: Pathogenesis and transmissibility of highly (H7N1) and low (H7N9) pathogenic avian influenza virus infection in red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa).
abstract: An experimental infection with highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) and low pathogenic avian influenza virus (LPAIV) was carried out in red-legged partridges (Alectoris rufa) in order to study clinical signs, gross and microscopic lesions, and viral distribution in tissues and viral shedding. Birds were infected with a HPAIV subtype H7N1 (A/Chicken/Italy/5093/1999) and a LPAIV subtype H7N9 (A/Anas crecca/Spain/1460/2008). Uninoculated birds were included as contacts in both groups. In HPAIV infected birds, the first clinical signs were observed at 3 dpi, and mortality started at 4 dpi, reaching 100% at 8 dpi. The presence of viral antigen in tissues and viral shedding were confirmed by immunohistochemistry and quantitative real time RT-PCR (qRRT-PCR), respectively, in all birds infected with HPAIV. However, neither clinical signs nor histopathological findings were observed in LPAIV infected partridges. In addition, only short-term viral shedding together with seroconversion was detected in some LPAIV inoculated animals. The present study demonstrates that the red-legged partridge is highly susceptible to the H7N1 HPAIV strain, causing severe disease, mortality and abundant viral shedding and thus contributing to the spread of a potential local outbreak of this virus. In contrast, our results concerning H7N9 LPAIV suggest that the red-legged partridge is not a reservoir species for this virus.
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA), UAB-IRTA, Campus de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain. natalia.majo@cresa.uab.cat.
authors.forename: Kateri
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bertran
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pérez-Ramírez
authors.forename: Núria
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Busquets
authors.forename: Roser
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dolz
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ramis
authors.forename: Ayub
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Darji
authors.forename: Francesc Xavier
authors.initials: FX
authors.lastname: Abad
authors.forename: Rosa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Valle
authors.forename: Aida
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chaves
authors.forename: Júlia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vergara-Alert
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Barral
authors.forename: Ursula
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Höfle
authors.forename: Natàlia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Majó
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D002988:Cloaca / Q000821:virology; D004198:Disease Susceptibility / Q000662:veterinary; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000662:veterinary; D005241:Feathers / Q000821:virology; D046094:Galliformes; D057916:Influenza A Virus, H7N1 Subtype / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D064766:Influenza A Virus, H7N9 Subtype / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D005585:Influenza in Birds / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology*; D009960:Oropharynx / Q000821:virology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral