title: The occurrence and transmission characteristics of airborne H9N2 avian influenza virus.
abstract: To better understand the transmission route of H9N2 avian influenza virus (AIV), two duplicate trials were conducted to observe the process of aerosol infection and direct contact in specific pathogen free chickens. Fifteen chickens (G1) were inoculated with H9N2 AIV and housed together with another 15 chickens (G2) in the same positive-negative-pressure isolator (A). Fifteen chickens (G3) were bred in another isolator (B) which was connected with A so that air could flow unidirectionally from A to B. Air, oropharyngeal and cloacal swabs, and blood samples were collected for the detection of aerosolized virus, virus shedding, and seroconversion. AIV aerosols were initially detected at day 2-3 post inoculation (dpi), reaching peak concentrations at 7 dpi. Virus shedding was detected in all chickens of G2, but only in a part in G3 (T1: 87%, T2: 80%). Antibodies were initially detected at 4-5 dpi, peaking at 14-21 dpi. The results showed that H9N2 AIV could be transmitted by both aerosol exposure and direct contact.
authors.affiliation: College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Agricultural University, Research Center for Animal Disease Control Engineering of Shandong Province, Taian, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Meiling
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.forename: Xingxiao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Tongjie
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chai
authors.forename: Zengmin
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Miao
authors.forename: Weiming
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Mei
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.forename: Qinglei
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Xiaoxia
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jingbo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Hongshuang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000336:Aerosols; D000391:Air Microbiology; D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D002460:Cell Line; D002645:Chickens; D004285:Dogs; D053127:Influenza A Virus, H9N2 Subtype; D005585:Influenza in Birds / Q000473:pathology / Q000635:transmission*; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000473:pathology / Q000635:transmission*; D017201:Virus Shedding
chemical_list: D000336:Aerosols; D000914:Antibodies, Viral