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Volume 10, Number 12—December 2004
Research

VecTest as Diagnostic and Surveillance Tool for West Nile Virus in Dead Birds

Ward B. Stone*Comments to Author , Joseph C. Okoniewski*, Joseph E. Therrien*, Laura D. Kramer†, Elizabeth B. Kauffman†, and Millicent Eidson†
Author affiliations: *New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Albany, New York, USA; †New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York, USA; VecTest for Detecting West Nile Virus

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Table 4

VecTest results from brain swabs of RT-PCR–positivea birds with oral VecTest-negative results

Species N No. positive No. narrow-line resultsb
Sharp-shinned Hawk 2 0 2
Cooper’s Hawk 2 0 0
Northern Goshawk 1 1 0
Red-tailed Hawk 11 4 3
American Kestrel 1 0 0
Peregrine Falcon 1 0 0
Great Horned Owl 10 0 0
Blue Jay 4 0 0
American Crow 9 3 0
Common Raven 1 0 0
Other speciesc 7 0 0
All species 49 8 5

aRT-PCR, reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction.
bType of result most commonly seen in internal tissues of RT-PCR—negative birds (see text).
cGreat Blue Heron (1), Mallard (1), Herring Gull (1), Great Black-backed Gull (1), Mourning Dove (2), Scarlet Tanager (1).

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