Volume 9, Number 3—March 2003
Research
Experimental Infection of North American Birds with the New York 1999 Strain of West Nile Virus
Nicholas Komar*
, Stanley Langevin*, Steven Hinten*, Nicole M. Nemeth*†, Eric Edwards*†, Danielle L. Hettler*†, Brent S. Davis*, Richard A. Bowen†, and Michel L. Bunning*‡
, Stanley Langevin*, Steven Hinten*, Nicole M. Nemeth*†, Eric Edwards*†, Danielle L. Hettler*†, Brent S. Davis*, Richard A. Bowen†, and Michel L. Bunning*‡
Table 6
West Nile virus shedding in living birds, as determined by daily cloacal swabbing of four species of birds exposed by mosquito bitea,b
| Species | n | Day postinoculation |
No. birds shedding (%) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | |||
| Canada Goose |
3 |
<0.2 |
<0.2 |
<0.2 |
<0.2 |
2.3 (<0.7–2.7) |
0.6 (<0.7–1.0) |
2.1 (<0.7–2.6) |
2 (67) |
| Mallard |
2 |
<0.4 |
<0.4 |
<0.4 |
<0.4 |
<0.4 |
<0.4 |
<0.4 |
0 |
| American Kestrelc |
2 |
1.6 (1.6–1.6) |
2.8 (2.0–3.1) |
4.2 (1.9–4.5) |
4.9 (4.0–5.2) |
4.2 (3.6–4.4) |
2.3 (2.2–2.4) |
3.1 (<0.4–3.4) |
2 (100) |
| Northern Bobwhite |
3 |
<–0.2 |
<–0.2 |
0.2 (<0.4–0.7) |
<–0.2 |
<–0.2 |
<–0.2 |
<–0.2 |
1 (33) |
| Japanese Quail |
3 |
<–0.2 |
<–0.2 |
<–0.2 |
<–0.2 |
<–0.2 |
<–0.2 |
<–0.2 |
0 |
| Ring-necked Pheasant |
3 |
<0.2 |
<0.2 |
<0.2 |
<0.2 |
<0.2 |
<0.2 |
<0.2 |
0 |
| American Coot |
1 |
<0.7 |
<0.7 |
<0.7 |
<0.7 |
2.7 |
<0.7 |
NT |
1 (100) |
| Killdeer |
2 |
<0.1 |
0.5 (<0.4–0.8) |
<0.1 |
1.5 (<0.4–1.8) |
<0.1 |
<0.1 |
<0.1 |
1 (50) |
| Ring-billed Gull |
2 |
<0.1 |
<0.1 |
2.4 (0.4–2.7) |
2.3 (2.2–2.5) |
<0.4 |
1.8 |
<0.4 |
2 (100) |
| Mourning Dove |
3 |
<–0.2 |
1.1 (0.8–1.5) |
<–0.2 |
<–0.2 |
<–0.2 |
<–0.2 |
<–0.2 |
2 (67) |
| Rock Dove |
6 |
<–0.5 |
<–0.5 |
<–0.5 |
<–0.5 |
1.2 (<0.4–1.7) |
NT |
NT |
4 (67) |
| Monk Parakeet |
3 |
<–0.2 |
<–0.2 |
<–0.2 |
<–0.2 |
<–0.2 |
<–0.2 |
<–0.2 |
0 |
| Budgerigar |
3 |
<–0.2 |
<–0.2 |
<–0.2 |
<–0.2 |
<–0.2 |
<–0.2 |
<–0.2 |
0 |
| Great Horned Owlc |
1 |
<0.4 |
2.3 |
2.1 |
3.1 |
2.1 |
3.3 |
2.0c |
1 (100) |
| Northern Flicker |
1 |
<0.4 |
<0.4 |
<0.4 |
<0.4 |
<0.4 |
<0.4 |
<0.4 |
0 |
| Blue Jay |
4 |
<–0.3 |
3.0 (<0.4–3.6) |
4.3 (2.1–4.8) |
6.0 (2.0–6.4) |
2.0 |
1.0 |
<0.4 |
4 (100) |
| Black-billed Magpie |
3 |
<–0.2 |
1.8 (<0.4–2.3) |
2.4 (2.1–2.5) |
1.9 (<0.4–2.3) |
2.9 (<0.4–3.4) |
– |
– |
3 (100) |
| American Crow |
6 |
0.8 (<0.4–1.5) |
3.3 (<0.4–4.0) |
5.2 (2.7–5.8) |
5.0 (3.8–5.5) |
5.7 |
– |
– |
6 (100) |
| Fish Crowd |
8 |
–0.2 (<0.4–0.7) |
1.5 (<0.4–2.1) |
3.0 (1.0–3.8) |
2.5 (<0.4–3.0) |
3.3 (<0.4–4.1) |
3.9 (<0.4–4.8) |
3.6 (<0.4–4.4) |
8 (100) |
| American Robin |
2 |
<0.4 |
0.8 (<0.7–1.1) |
2.2 (<0.7–2.5) |
<0.4 |
<0.4 |
<0.4 |
<0.4 |
1 (50) |
| European Starling |
6 |
<–0.5 |
<-0.5 |
-0.5 (<0.4–0.4) |
<–0.5 |
–0.5 (<0.4–0.4) |
0.8 (<0.4–1.5) |
<–0.5 |
3 (50) |
| Red-winged blackbird |
3 |
–0.2 |
0.4 (<–0.4–0.8) |
<–0.2 |
–0.2 (<0.4–0.7) |
<-0.2 |
<–0.2 |
<–0.2 |
1 (33) |
| Common Grackle |
6 |
<–0.5 |
>2.0 (<0.4–>2.7) |
4.5 (0.7–5.3) |
5.6 (<0.4–6.4) |
5.2 (<0.4–5.9) |
0.8 (<0.4–1.4) |
0.1 (<0.4–0.7) |
6 (100) |
| House Finch |
2 |
<0.4 |
<0.4 |
<0.4 |
<0.4 |
<0.4 |
<0.7 |
<0.7 |
0 |
| House Sparrowe | 6 | NT | <–0.5 | NT | >1.9 (<0.4–>2.7) | 1.3 (<0.4–2.1) | NT | NT | 2 (33) |
aPresented as mean log10 PFU/swab, with ranges.
bNT, not tested; –, no birds survived the infection to be sampled.
cAmerican Kestrels and the Great Horned Owl were tested at 9–11 days postinoculation, with no detectable virus in swabs.
dSurviving Fish Crows were tested at 8 and 9 days postinoculation with the following results for day 8 and day 9, respectively: 1.2 (<0.4–1.8); 1.5 (<0.4–2.1).
eThese house sparrows were inoculated by needle rather than by mosquito bite.
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