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Lee MM, Jaspers VLB, Gabrielsen GW, Jenssen BM, Ciesielski TM, Mortensen ÅK, Lundgren SS, Waugh CA. Evidence of avian influenza virus in seabirds breeding on a Norwegian high-Arctic archipelago. BMC Vet Res 2020; 16:48. [PMID: 32028933 PMCID: PMC7006154 DOI: 10.1186/s12917-020-2265-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2019] [Accepted: 01/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Wild aquatic birds serve as the natural reservoir for avian influenza virus (AIV), a disease with significant implications for avian and mammalian health. Climate change is predicted to impact the dynamics of AIV, particularly in areas such as the Arctic, but the baseline data needed to detect these shifts is often unavailable. In this study, plasma from two species of gulls breeding on the high-Arctic Svalbard archipelago were screened for antibodies to AIV. Results AIV antibodies were found in black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) samples from multiple years, as well as in glaucous gulls (Larus hyperboreous) samples. Conclusions Despite small sample sizes, evidence of exposure to AIV was found among Svalbard gulls. A wider survey of Svalbard avian species is warranted to establish knowledge on the extent of AIV exposure on Svalbard and to determine whether active infections are present.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan Marie Lee
- Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Høgskoleringen 5, NO-7491, Trondheim, Norway.,Biological Sciences Program, Goucher College, 1021 Dulaney Valley Road, Baltimore, MD, 21204, USA
| | - Veerle L B Jaspers
- Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Høgskoleringen 5, NO-7491, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Geir Wing Gabrielsen
- Norwegian Polar Institute, Fram Centre, Postbox 6606 Langnes, NO-9296, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Bjørn Munro Jenssen
- Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Høgskoleringen 5, NO-7491, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Tomasz Maciej Ciesielski
- Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Høgskoleringen 5, NO-7491, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Åse-Karen Mortensen
- Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Høgskoleringen 5, NO-7491, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Silje Strand Lundgren
- Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Høgskoleringen 5, NO-7491, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Courtney A Waugh
- Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Høgskoleringen 5, NO-7491, Trondheim, Norway. .,Faculty of Biosciences and Aquaculture, Nord University, Steinkjer, Trøndelag, Norway.
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