PCR detection of Avipox and avian Papillomavirus in naturally infected wild birds: comparisons of blood, swab and tissue samples.

In this study, three alternative sampling techniques (blood, cutaneous swabs and tissue biopsies) from symptomatic wild birds were examined. PCR was used to detect Avipox virus and avian papillomavirus (which also induces cutaneous lesions in birds). Four out of 14 tissue samples were positive but all 29 blood and 22 swab samples were negative for papillomavirus. All 29 blood samples were negative but 6/22 swabs and 9/14 tissue samples were Avipox positive. The difference between the numbers of positives generated from tissue samples and from swabs was not significant. The difference in the Avipox positive specimens in paired swab (4/6) and tissue samples (6/6) was also not significant. Therefore these results do not show the superiority of swab or tissue samples over each other. However, both swab (6/22) and tissue (8/9) samples yielded significantly more Avipox positives than blood samples, which are therefore not recommended for sampling these viruses. PMID: 24456300 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Avian Pathology - Category: Pathology Authors: Tags: Avian Pathol Source Type: research