Volume 13, Number 4—April 2007
Dispatch
Avian Influenza Viruses in Water Birds, Africa1
Nicolas Gaidet*
, Tim Dodman†, Alexandre Caron*, Gilles Balança*, Stephanie Desvaux*, Flavie Goutard*, Giovanni Cattoli‡, François Lamarque§, Ward Hagemeijer†, and François Monicat*
, Tim Dodman†, Alexandre Caron*, Gilles Balança*, Stephanie Desvaux*, Flavie Goutard*, Giovanni Cattoli‡, François Lamarque§, Ward Hagemeijer†, and François Monicat*Table 1
Prevalence of avian Influenza virus in wild birds*
| Bird group | Species tested | No. | PCR positive, no. (%) | Positive country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| African ducks | 9 species (total, including 4 named below) | 1,455 | 41 (2.8) | |
| Dendrocygna viduata | 1,181 | 38 (3.2) | TD, ET, ML, MR, NE, SN | |
| Sarkidiornis melanotos | 117 | 3 (2.6) | ML, NE | |
| D. bicolor | 88 | 0 | ||
| Plectropterus gambensis |
32 |
0 |
||
| Eurasian ducks | 10 species | 1,409 | 93 (6.6) | |
| Anas querquedula | 1,335 | 87 (6.5) | TD, ML, MR, NE, SN | |
| A. acuta | 24 | 2 (8.3) | ML | |
| A. crecca | 24 | 3 (12.5) | MA | |
| A. clypeata |
6 |
1 (16.7) |
MA |
|
| Eurasian waders | 13 species | 409 | 6 (1.5) | |
| Philomachus pugnax | 115 | 2 (1.7) | ML | |
| Tringa glareola | 74 | 0 | ||
| Calidris minuta | 60 | 0 | ||
| C. ferruginea | 45 | 2 (4.4) | TN | |
| Himantopus himantopus | 45 | 0 | ||
| Gallinago gallinago | 30 | 0 | ||
| T. erythropus |
23 |
2 (8.7) |
ML |
|
| Rails | 8 species | 438 | 3 (0.7) | |
| Porphyrio alleni | 187 | 0 | ||
| Amaurornis flavirostris | 88 | 0 | ||
| Fulica cristata | 80 | 0 | ||
| Gallinula chloropus | 31 | 2 (6.5) | ML | |
| Porphyrio porphyrio |
10 |
1 (10) |
ML |
|
| Gulls | 3 species | 366 | 14 (3.8) | |
| Larus genei | 156 | 13 (8.3) | SN | |
| L. fuscus | 129 | 1 (0.8) | MR | |
| L. melanocephalus |
81 |
0 |
||
| Terns | 7 species | 159 | 2 (1.3) | |
| Sterna sp.† |
150 |
2 (1.3) |
MR |
|
| Cormorants | 2 species | 148 | 0 | |
| Phalacrocorax carbo |
130 |
0 |
||
| Other |
36 species |
196 |
0 |
|
| Total | 87 species | 4,553 | 159 (3.5) |
*Detected by reverse transcription–PCR (RT-PCR), for all RT-PCR–positive species and in species with >30 individuals sampled. Lower numbers in individual species are included in the total for each bird group. Countries where RT-PCR–positive samples were obtained are indicated (TD, Chad; ET, Ethiopia; ML, Mali; MR, Mauritania; NE, Niger; SN, Senegal; MA, Morocco; TN, Tunisia).
†Unidentified fresh dropping samples from a multispecies flock of Sterna caspia, S. maxima, and S. sandvicensis.
