TY - JOUR
T1 - Monitoring of Usutu virus activity and spread by using dead bird surveillance in Austria, 2003-2005
AU - Chvala, S.
AU - Bakonyi, T.
AU - Bukovsky, C.
AU - Meister, T.
AU - Brugger, K.
AU - Rubel, F.
AU - Nowotny, N.
AU - Weissenböck, H.
N1 - Funding Information:
We wish to thank all persons who contributed to the dead bird surveillance, especially the veterinarians and ornithologists who volunteered in establishing collection centers. We thank Klaus Bittermann, Karin Fragner, Ingrid Friedl, Dr. Jolanta Kolodziejek, Helga Lussy, and Nora Nedorost for excellent technical assistance. Funding for this project was provided by the Federal Ministry for Health and Women. T. Bakonyi's work was supported by the grant OTKA D048647. The nucleotide sequences determined in this study have been deposited in GenBank database under the accession numbers EF078294 – EF078301 and EF393679 – EF393681 .
PY - 2007/6/21
Y1 - 2007/6/21
N2 - Usutu virus has been causing avian mortality in Austria since its emergence in 2001. Between 2003 and 2005 a total of 504 dead birds were examined by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry for the presence of Usutu virus nucleic acid and antigen, respectively. In 2003, 92 birds (out of 177 birds) belonging to five different species were positive, while in 2004, only 11 (of 224) birds, and in 2005, 4 (of 103) birds proved positive, all of which were blackbirds (Turdus merula). Within the surveillance period the virus had spread from its initial area of emergence and circulation, the surroundings of Vienna, to large areas of the federal states of Lower Austria, Burgenland and Styria. However, the absolute numbers of Usutu virus associated avian deaths declined significantly during the course of the years. In addition, the proportion of birds with low amounts of virus in their tissues increased continuously, which may indicate developing herd immunity.
AB - Usutu virus has been causing avian mortality in Austria since its emergence in 2001. Between 2003 and 2005 a total of 504 dead birds were examined by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry for the presence of Usutu virus nucleic acid and antigen, respectively. In 2003, 92 birds (out of 177 birds) belonging to five different species were positive, while in 2004, only 11 (of 224) birds, and in 2005, 4 (of 103) birds proved positive, all of which were blackbirds (Turdus merula). Within the surveillance period the virus had spread from its initial area of emergence and circulation, the surroundings of Vienna, to large areas of the federal states of Lower Austria, Burgenland and Styria. However, the absolute numbers of Usutu virus associated avian deaths declined significantly during the course of the years. In addition, the proportion of birds with low amounts of virus in their tissues increased continuously, which may indicate developing herd immunity.
KW - Austria
KW - Avian mortality
KW - Surveillance
KW - USUV
KW - Usutu virus
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U2 - 10.1016/j.vetmic.2007.01.029
DO - 10.1016/j.vetmic.2007.01.029
M3 - Article
C2 - 17346908
AN - SCOPUS:34248582880
SN - 0378-1135
VL - 122
SP - 237
EP - 245
JO - Veterinary Microbiology
JF - Veterinary Microbiology
IS - 3-4
ER -