Prevalence of IgY antibodies against Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae in a critically endangered parrot (kakapo, Strigops habroptilus) and associated responses to vaccination.

Prevalence of IgY antibodies against Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae in a critically endangered parrot (kakapo, Strigops habroptilus) and associated responses to vaccination. Avian Pathol. 2013 Oct;42(5):502-7 Authors: Livingston M, Fidler A, Mellor D, de Kloet S, Eason D, Elliott G, Moorhouse R Abstract An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed to estimate levels of IgY antibody against the bacterium Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae in serum samples collected from the critically endangered kakapo (Strigops habroptilus, Psittaciformes, Aves) before and after vaccination against this bacterium. Relative IgY antibody titres in pre-vaccination serum samples (n = 71 individual kakapo) were normally distributed with the exception of four outliers which displayed low IgY levels. Notably all four low IgY samples were collected from fledglings 3 - 6 months old. Pre-vaccination serum samples from nine nestlings <3 months old, seven of which were hatched in incubators and had no contact with either adult kakapo or their natural environment (e.g. soil), were found to have relatively high IgY levels, suggesting transfer of maternal IgY molecules to fledglings via the yolk. IgY levels in pre-vaccination serum samples from seven kakapo aged 25 - 30 months were also relatively high, suggesting that most kakapo naturally acquire anti- E.rhusiopathiae IgYs within their first 2 years. There was no evidence that vaccination increased the kakapo popu...
Source: Avian Pathology - Category: Pathology Authors: Tags: Avian Pathol Source Type: research