Table 9

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*‡

Author affiliations: *Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA; †Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA; ‡Office of the Surgeon General, United States Air Force, Bolling Air Force Base, Washington, D.C., USA

Main Article

Viral load, determined by Vero plaque assay in organs harvested from surviving birds 14 days after West Nile virus (WNV) infection by mosquito bite^a,b

Species	ID no.	Sex	Organ (PFU/0.5 cm³)											Days postviremia
Species	ID no.	Sex	Br	Ki	He	Sp	Li	Lu	In	Es	Go	Sk	Ey	Days postviremia
American Kestrel^c	F2	F	–^d	20	–	20	–	–	–	–	NT	30	–	10
American Kestrel	F3	F	–	–	–	10	–	–	–	–	NT	–	–	11
Japanese Quail	902	U	10	10	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	8
Japanese Quail	904	U	–	–	–	10	–	–	–	–	10	–	–	14
Japanese Quail	907	U	–	–	20	20	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	14
Killdeer	CT	U	–	60	–	–	–	–	20	–	–	110	–	9
Killdeer	WT	U	–	–	–	550	–	–	–	–	–	2x10⁴	–	10
Mourning Dove	LCW	U	–	20	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	10
Mourning Dove	RB	M	–	100	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	11
Budgerigar	13591	U	–	–	130	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	13
Blue Jay	911	U	20	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	360	9
Fish Crow	049	U	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	30	9
Red-winged Blackbird	711	M	–	–	10	–	10	–	–	–	–	–	–	11
Common Grackle	119	F	–	–	–	10	–	–	–	10	20	380	150	11
Common Grackle	122	M	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	10	10
House Sparrow	011	F	10	50	–	–	–	–	40	90	–	370	60	8
House Sparrow	012	M	–	–	–	120	–	590	10	–	–	10	–	10
House Sparrow	016	M	200	20	–	50	–	20	–	–	–	–	50	8

^aFor each bird, the number of days postviremia is indicated. Birds from which no virus was detected are not included. WNV was isolated from at least one organ sample from 18 birds, and at least one isolate was made from each of the 11 different organs. Liver had the fewest isolates with one; spleen had the most with eight. Titers were generally low. The highest titered specimen was a skin sample from a Killdeer. Twenty-three surviving birds had no WNV isolated from tissues at 14 days postinoculation, including three Northern Bobwhite, three Ring-necked Pheasants, three Monk Parakeets, two Budgerigars, one Great Horned Owl, one Mourning Dove, six European Starlings, two Common Grackles, and two Red-winged Blackbirds. In addition, five Rock Doves were sampled at 64 days postinoculation and were negative.
^bM, male; F, female; U, undetermined gender or gender not recorded; Br, brain; Ki, kidney; He, heart; Sp, spleen; Li, liver; Lu, lung; In, intestine; Es, esophagus; Go, gonad; Sk, skin; Ey, eye; and NT, not tested.
^cKestrels were tested 15 days postinoculation.
^d – indicates that no virus was isolated (threshold of detection 10 PFU/0.5 cm³ tissue).

Main Article

Page created: December 07, 2010

Page updated: December 07, 2010

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Volume 9, Number 3—March 2003

Research

Experimental Infection of North American Birds with the New York 1999 Strain of West Nile Virus

Table 9