title: DETECTION OF ZOONOTIC PATHOGENS IN WILD BIRDS IN THE CROSS-BORDER REGION AUSTRIA - CZECH REPUBLIC.
abstract: To assess the importance of wild birds as a reservoir of zoonotic pathogens in Austria and the Czech Republic, we sampled 1,325 wild birds representing 13 orders, 32 families, and 81 species. The majority belonged to orders Columbiformes (43%), Passeriformes (25%), and to birds of prey: Accipitriformes, Strigiformes, and Falconiformes (15%). We collected cloacal swabs from 1,191 birds for bacterial culture and 1,214 triple swabs (conjunctiva, choana, cloaca) for DNA and RNA isolation. The cloacal swabs were processed by classical bacteriologic methods for isolation of Escherichia coli , Salmonella spp., methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and thermophilic Campylobacter spp. Nucleic acids isolated from triple swabs were investigated by PCR for West Nile virus, avian influenza viruses, and Chlamydia spp. We also tested tissue samples from 110 fresh carcasses for Mycobacterium spp. by PCR and we cultured fresh droppings from 114 birds for Cryptococcus spp. The most-frequently detected zoonotic bacteria were thermophilic Campylobacter spp. (12.5%) and Chlamydia spp. (10.3%). From 79.2% of the sampled birds we isolated E. coli , while 8.7% and 0.2% of E. coli isolates possessed the virulence genes for intimin (eaeA) and Shiga toxins (stx1and stx2), respectively. Salmonella spp. were rarely found in the sampled birds (2.2%), similar to findings of MRSA (0.3%). None of the samples were positive for Cryptococcus neoformans , Mycobacterium spp., avian influenza viruses, or West Nile virus.
authors.affiliation: 1   Clinic for Poultry and Fish Medicine, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Cornelia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Konicek
authors.affiliation: 2   State Veterinary Institute Jihlava, Rantířovská 93/20, 58605 Jihlava, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Pavel
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vodrážka
authors.affiliation: 2   State Veterinary Institute Jihlava, Rantířovská 93/20, 58605 Jihlava, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Pavel
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Barták
authors.affiliation: 3   University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Palackého tř. 1946/1, 61242 Brno, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Zdenek
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Knotek
authors.affiliation: 1   Clinic for Poultry and Fish Medicine, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hess
authors.affiliation: 2   State Veterinary Institute Jihlava, Rantířovská 93/20, 58605 Jihlava, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Karol
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Račka
authors.affiliation: 1   Clinic for Poultry and Fish Medicine, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hess
authors.affiliation: 1   Clinic for Poultry and Fish Medicine, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Salome
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Troxler
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild; D001317:Austria; D001717:Birds / Q000382:microbiology*; D002167:Campylobacter / Q000302:isolation & purification; D018153:Czech Republic; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / Q000302:isolation & purification*
keywords: Austria; Czech Republic; bacterial infections; mycosis; viral infections; wild birds; wildlife; zoonoses