Volume 13, Number 4—April 2007
Dispatch
Avian Influenza Viruses in Water Birds, Africa1
, 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.
1African Waterbird Ringing Scheme (AFRING), Oiseaux Migrateurs du Paléarctique Occidental (OMPO), Office National de la Chasse et de la Faune Sauvage (ONCFS) , Dutch Centre for Field Ornithology or Stichting Openbaar Voortgezet Onderwijs Noord (SOVON), and Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT).