title: Evaluation of antibody response to vaccination against West Nile virus in thick billed parrots (Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha).
abstract: West Nile virus (WNV) was first documented in North America in New York City in 1999. Several deaths attributable to WNV have been reported in captive thick-billed parrots (Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha), an endangered psittacine native to North America. The serologic responses in 12 captive adult thick-billed parrots after a series of three initial WNV vaccine injections with annual boosters over 6 yr was evaluated. In addition, the serologic responses of 11 thick-billed parrot chicks following an initial vaccination series to determine if there were seroconversions were also reported. Most adults (67%) had seroconverted after 5 yr of annual vaccination, with a median titer of 1:80 (range 1:40-1:160) for those that seroconverted. After the first year, birds were likely naturally exposed to WNV, which limited interpretation of titers. None of the chicks seroconverted during the initial three-vaccine series; only two of four chicks (50%) had seroconverted when tested at the 1-yr yearly booster, and at 2 yr, three of four chicks had seroconverted. Although some birds had detectable antibody titers, it is unclear whether this vaccine can reliably provide protection against WNV in thick-billed parrots.
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, One Shields Ave, Davis, California 95616, USA. jglavis@gmail.com
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Glavis
authors.forename: R Scott
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Larsen
authors.forename: Nadine
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lamberski
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gaffney
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gardner
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D001715:Bird Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007115:Immunization Schedule; D010311:Parrots; D014765:Viral Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D014901:West Nile Fever / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000662:veterinary*
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D014765:Viral Vaccines