Surveillance for arboviral zoonoses in New Zealand birds.
BACKGROUND
Given the significant burden that emerging infectious diseases place on global economies and public health, the monitoring and mitigation of, and early response to, potential infectious diseases are of the highest priority. The objective of this study was to survey for known and other potential arboviral zoonoses in multiple bird species at four locations in New Zealand.


METHODS
Common bird species were targeted for blood sampling during two southern hemisphere summers. Sera from each period (n = 185 and n = 693) were screened in an epitope blocking enzyme immunoassay for flavivirus antibody detection. In the first season, testing for antibodies to specific alphaviruses was conducted on samples with sufficient sera (n = 22). In the second season, blood clots (n = 544) were screened for viral presence by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for alphaviral and flaviviral RNA, and virus isolation (n = 146) was conducted.


RESULTS
Flavivirus antibodies were detected in 13 species, and one Australasian gannet (Morus serrator) from one site was positive for antibodies to Ross River virus. PCR tests and virus isolation were all negative.


CONCLUSIONS
Evidence for flavivirus exposure in seabirds at Kaikoura Peninsula and Cape Kidnappers suggests that viruses isolated from seabirds and associated ticks in New Zealand in the late 1970s are still present. Evidence for flavivirus exposure in passerines at Kaikoura Peninsula, Cape Kidnappers and Mokoia Island is novel. The Ross River virus finding is also new and supports the hypothesis that migratory seabirds are an import pathway for such agents into New Zealand.
Landcare Research, Dunedin, New Zealand .
Daniel
D
Tompkins
Arbovirus Surveillance and Research Laboratory, School of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The University of Western Australia, Australia .
Cheryl
C
Johansen
New Zealand Centre for Conservation Medicine, Auckland, New Zealand .
Richard
R
Jakob-Hoff
Investigation and Diagnostic Centres, Wallaceville, Upper Hutt, New Zealand .
David
D
Pulford
Institute of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand .
Isabel
I
Castro
Institute of Environmental Science and Research, Porirua, New Zealand .
Graham
G
Mackereth
D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D001102:Arbovirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D001103:Arboviruses / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001715:Bird Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D001717:Birds; D001800:Blood Specimen Collection / Q000379:methods; D021821:Communicable Diseases, Emerging / Q000276:immunology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D005416:Flavivirus / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D012398:Ross River virus / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012699:Serology / Q000379:methods; D015047:Zoonoses / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology
D000914:Antibodies, Viral