title: Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N1) Virus in Feathers.
abstract: H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus causes high mortality of infected birds, with infection in multiple organs, including in feathers. Feathers have been proposed as samples for diagnosis of HPAI infection in birds, and this study is part of a broader investigation validating the use of feathers for diagnostic purposes. To understand and characterize the morphological basis for feather infection, sections from 7 different skin tracts of ducks and chickens infected with 3 different clades of H5N1 HPAI virus from Indonesia and Vietnam were examined histologically. Results showed that in ducks, lesions and viral antigen were mainly detected in the epidermis of feathers and follicles, whereas in chickens, they were mostly found in the dermis of these structures. Abundant viral antigen was found in nearly all the feathers examined from chickens, and there was no apparent difference between virus isolates or skin tracts in the proportion of feathers that were antigen positive. By immunohistochemistry, the majority of feathers from most skin tracts from ducks infected with a Vietnamese H5N1 HPAI virus contained abundant levels of viral antigen, while few feathers were antigen positive from ducks infected with 2 Indonesian viruses. These results support and inform the use of feathers for diagnostic detection of H5N1 HPAI virus in birds.
authors: 1 CSIRO-Australian Animal Health Laboratory, Geelong, Victoria, Australia.|2 School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, Australia.|3 Indonesian Research Center for Veterinary Science, Bogor, West Java, Indonesia.
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Nuradji
authors: 1 CSIRO-Australian Animal Health Laboratory, Geelong, Victoria, Australia.
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Bingham
authors: 1 CSIRO-Australian Animal Health Laboratory, Geelong, Victoria, Australia.
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Payne
authors: 1 CSIRO-Australian Animal Health Laboratory, Geelong, Victoria, Australia.
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Harper
authors: 1 CSIRO-Australian Animal Health Laboratory, Geelong, Victoria, Australia.
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Lowther
authors: 1 CSIRO-Australian Animal Health Laboratory, Geelong, Victoria, Australia.|2 School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, Australia.|4 Disease Investigation Centre Region IV Wates, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Wibawa
authors: 5 Center for Veterinary Diagnostics, Regional Animal Health Office No. 6, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam.
authors: N T
authors: NT
authors: Long
authors: 2 School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, Australia.
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Meers
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens; D004372:Ducks; D005241:Feathers / Q000821:virology*; D053124:Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000502:physiology; D005585:Influenza in Birds / Q000821:virology*
keywords: H5N1; chicken; duck; feathers; highly pathogenic avian influenza; skin