Abstract
The White Ibis (Eudocimus albus), a nomadic wading bird, has increased its exploitation of urban habitats in South Florida, United States, and has recently established several urban breeding colonies. Certain characteristics of ibis ecology could position them in the natural cycle of the avian influenza virus (AIV). In fact, experimentally infected ibises were shown to be competent hosts for multiple AIV subtypes, and seroconversion to AIV has been documented in adult ibises in natural populations. However, the mechanisms of transmission and the timing of infection are unclear as we have yet to isolate AIV from a free-living ibis. To investigate the age-specific AIV dynamics of ibis, we captured nestlings (n = 115) weekly for 1–4 weeks from urban and natural settings in 2020 and 2021. We collected choanal/cloacal swabs for rRT-PCR and virus isolation, and plasma to screen for maternal AIV antibodies. AIV was not detected in any individual by virus isolation; however, maternal antibodies to AIV were detected in 95% of nestlings, with varying rates of catabolism. These results confirm that nestlings are afforded maternal antibodies from adults at rates reflective of higher adult seroprevalence than previously documented and that nestlings in breeding colonies may have some degree of protection and are unlikely to become infected with AIV.
Highlights
43.98) and one from 6-day old natural rookery nestling sampled in 2021 yielded (Ct 33.98); avian influenza virus (AIV) viral RNA was not detected in any other samples (Table 1)
Discussion ments had a high seroprevalence (95%, n = 101) and persistence of maternal antibodies, nestlings throughout their first that three weeks ofprotected life in urban which,Ibis paired with thesampled absence of AIV isolation, suggests they may be from and na colonies in Florida were found prevalence to be infected with AIV
101)this and persistence of maternal to the variation in nest tracking scheme and rookery conditions between the urban and which, paired with the absence of AIV isolation, suggests that they may be protected natural colony which led to a higher age of the first capture and lower recapture likelihood
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. The White Ibis (hereafter, ibis; Eudocimus albus) is a nomadic wading bird common across the southeastern United States. Ibises usually breed in large, mixed species rookeries during the spring and early summer, with colonies sometimes housing as many as. 60,000 – >200,000 individuals in South Florida [1,2]. In the past 20 years, ibises have become common in urban areas, e.g., parks and landfills, foraging largely on anthropogenic food [3,4]. Ibises have begun breeding in urban areas, altering conditions of ibis breeding such as community composition, diet, and stimuli (i.e., noise, light) [5,6,7]
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