Volume 16, Number 3—March 2010
Research
Surveillance for West Nile Virus in American White Pelicans, Montana, USA, 2006–2007
Gregory P. Johnson
, Nicole M. Nemeth, Kristina Hale, Nicole P. Lindsey, Nicholas A. Panella, and Nicholas Komar
, Nicole M. Nemeth, Kristina Hale, Nicole P. Lindsey, Nicholas A. Panella, and Nicholas Komar
Table 3
WNV detected by plaque assay or RT-PCR in tissues from American white pelican carcasses collected at Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Montana, USA, 2006–2007*
| Specimen | No. (%) plaque assay positive, n = 27 | Median viral titer, log PFU/0.5 cm3 (range)† | No. (%) RT-PCR positive, n = 8 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feather pulp | 18 (66.7) | 3.5 (1.3–5.9) | 6 (75.0) |
| Kidney | 18 (66.7) | 2.6 (2.0–3.9) | 3 (37.5) |
| Spleen | 4 (14.8) | 1.6 (0.7–2.0) | 1 (12.5) |
| Brain | 21 (77.8) | 2.7 (1.7–5.9) | 5 (62.5) |
| Heart | 14 (51.9) | 3.6 (0.7–5.3) | 2 (25.0) |
| Lung | 6 (22.2) | 2.4 (1.7–3.3) | 1 (12.5) |
| Skin | 25 (92.6) | 3.1 (0.7–5.0) | 5 (62.5) |
| Oral swab | 9 (33.3) | 2.1 (0.7–3.7) | 3 (37.5) |
| Cloacal swab | 7 (25.9) | 1.8 (0.7–3.7) | 2 (25.0) |
| Eye swab‡ | 2 (11.8) | 2.2 (1.7–2.6) | – |
*WNV, West Nile virus; RT-PCR, reverse transcription–PCR. All carcasses were WNV positive by virus isolation or detection of specific WNV RNA by RT-PCR.
†Median titers were calculated from the positive specimens only. Unit of measurement for swabs is per swab rather than per 0.5 cm3.
‡Eye swabs were collected from only 17 WNV-positive chicks.
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