Abstract
A total of 119 fresh faecal samples were collected from graylag geese migrating northwards in April. Also, cloacal swabs were taken from 100 carcasses of graylag geese shot during the hunting season in August. In addition, samples were taken from 200 feral pigeons and five mallards. The cultivation of bacteria detected Campylobacter jejuni jejuni in six of the pigeons, and in one of the mallards. Salmonella diarizona 14:k:z53 was detected in one graylag goose, while all pigeons and mallards were negative for salmonellae. No avian paramyxovirus was found in any of the samples tested. One mallard, from an Oslo river, was influenza A virus positive, confirmed by RT-PCR and by inoculation of embryonated eggs. The isolate termed A/Duck/Norway/1/03 was found to be of H3N8 type based on sequence analyses of the hemagglutinin and neuraminidase segments, and serological tests. This is the first time an avian influenza virus has been isolated in Norway. The study demonstrates that the wild bird species examined may constitute a reservoir for important bird pathogens and zoonotic agents in Norway.
Highlights
The potential for spread of infectious agents from wild animals to humans and domestic animals is great, and this prospect is even more pronounced for wild birds
The virus was run in a hemagglutination-inhibition test with sera against H5N1, H5N2, H5N3, H7N1, H7N3 and H7N7, as well as against avian paramyxovirus strains (APMV-1, APMV-2 and APMV-3)
324 samples were investigated for the presence of avian paramyxovirus and avian influenza virus, and influenza A virus H3N8 was identified in one mallard (A/Duck/Norway/1/03)
Summary
The potential for spread of infectious agents from wild animals to humans and domestic animals is great, and this prospect is even more pronounced for wild birds. The graylag goose (Anser anser), a migrating bird, spends the winter in the Netherlands and Spain and usually reaches Norway by April, enroute to their summer habitats (Andersson et al 2001). They habitually arrive at their first stop over, for feeding and resting, on the southwest coast of Norway, an area that has a high concentration of poultry breeding flocks. It was of interest to know whether migrating geese were infected with any of these viruses, so soon after the influenza outbreak in the Netherlands. The pigeon is susceptible to avian paramyxovirus type 1 (APMV-1)
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