Migratory (particularly aquatic) birds are the major natural reservoirs for type A influenza viruses. However, their role in transmitting highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses is unclear. Egypt is a “funnel” zone of wild bird migration pathways from Central Asia and Europe to Eastern and Central Africa ending in South Africa. We sought to detect and isolate avian influenza viruses in migratory birds in Egypt. During September 2003–February 2009, the US Naval Medical Research Unit Number 3, Cairo, Egypt, in collaboration with the Egyptian Ministry of Environment, obtained cloacal swabs from 7,894 migratory birds captured or shot by hunters in different geographic areas in Egypt. Samples were processed by real-time reverse transcriptase PCR for detection of the influenza A matrix gene. Positive samples were processed for virus isolation in specific-pathogen-free embryonated eggs and isolates were subtyped by PCR and partial sequencing. Ninety-five species of birds were collected. Predominant species were Green-Winged Teal (Anas carolinensis; 32.0%, n=2,528), Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata; 21.4%, n=1,686), and Northern Pintail (Anas acuta; 11.1%, n=877). Of the 7,894 samples, 745 (9.4%) were positive for the influenza A matrix gene (mainly from the above predominant species). Thirteen of the 745 (1.7%) were H5-positive by PCR (11 were low-pathogenic avian influenza and two were HPAI H5N1). The prevalences of influenza A was among regions were 10–15%, except in Middle Egypt (4%). Thirty-nine influenza isolates were obtained from PCR-positive samples. Seventeen subtypes of avian influenza viruses (including H5N1 and H7N7) were classified from 39 isolates using PCR and partial sequencing. Only one HPAI H5N1 was isolated in February 2006, from a wild resident Great Egret (Ardea alba). No major die-offs or sick migratory birds were detected during the study. We identified avian influenza virus subtypes not previously reported in Egypt. The HPAI H5N1 isolated or detected indicates that migratory birds may play a role in the dispersal of HPAI virus, but a detailed mechanism of this role needs to be elucidated.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
Epidemiology|
July 01 2012
SURVEILLANCE OF AVIAN INFLUENZA VIRUSES IN MIGRATORY BIRDS IN EGYPT, 2003–09
Atef Soliman;
Atef Soliman
4
1 US Naval Medical Research Unit Number 3, 3A Imtidad Ramses St., Abassia, Cairo, Egypt
4 Corresponding author (email: [email protected]; [email protected])
Search for other works by this author on:
Magdi Saad;
Magdi Saad
1 US Naval Medical Research Unit Number 3, 3A Imtidad Ramses St., Abassia, Cairo, Egypt
Search for other works by this author on:
Emad Elassal;
Emad Elassal
1 US Naval Medical Research Unit Number 3, 3A Imtidad Ramses St., Abassia, Cairo, Egypt
Search for other works by this author on:
Ehab Amir;
Ehab Amir
1 US Naval Medical Research Unit Number 3, 3A Imtidad Ramses St., Abassia, Cairo, Egypt
Search for other works by this author on:
Chantal Plathonoff;
Chantal Plathonoff
1 US Naval Medical Research Unit Number 3, 3A Imtidad Ramses St., Abassia, Cairo, Egypt
Search for other works by this author on:
Verina Bahgat;
Verina Bahgat
1 US Naval Medical Research Unit Number 3, 3A Imtidad Ramses St., Abassia, Cairo, Egypt
Search for other works by this author on:
Maha Elbadry;
Maha Elbadry
1 US Naval Medical Research Unit Number 3, 3A Imtidad Ramses St., Abassia, Cairo, Egypt
Search for other works by this author on:
Lu'ay S. Ahmed;
Lu'ay S. Ahmed
2 Egyptian Ministry of Environment, 30 Misr Helwan El Zyrae Road, Maadi, Cairo, Egypt
Search for other works by this author on:
Mostafa Fouda;
Mostafa Fouda
2 Egyptian Ministry of Environment, 30 Misr Helwan El Zyrae Road, Maadi, Cairo, Egypt
Search for other works by this author on:
Mohammed Gamaleldin;
Mohammed Gamaleldin
2 Egyptian Ministry of Environment, 30 Misr Helwan El Zyrae Road, Maadi, Cairo, Egypt
Search for other works by this author on:
Nahed Abd- Elal Mohamed;
Nahed Abd- Elal Mohamed
2 Egyptian Ministry of Environment, 30 Misr Helwan El Zyrae Road, Maadi, Cairo, Egypt
Search for other works by this author on:
Stephanie Salyer;
Stephanie Salyer
3 School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 2015 Linden Dr., Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
Search for other works by this author on:
Claire Cornelius;
Claire Cornelius
1 US Naval Medical Research Unit Number 3, 3A Imtidad Ramses St., Abassia, Cairo, Egypt
Search for other works by this author on:
Robert Barthel
Robert Barthel
1 US Naval Medical Research Unit Number 3, 3A Imtidad Ramses St., Abassia, Cairo, Egypt
Search for other works by this author on:
J Wildl Dis (2012) 48 (3): 669–675.
Article history
Received:
July 14 2011
Accepted:
February 25 2012
Citation
Atef Soliman, Magdi Saad, Emad Elassal, Ehab Amir, Chantal Plathonoff, Verina Bahgat, Maha Elbadry, Lu'ay S. Ahmed, Mostafa Fouda, Mohammed Gamaleldin, Nahed Abd- Elal Mohamed, Stephanie Salyer, Claire Cornelius, Robert Barthel; SURVEILLANCE OF AVIAN INFLUENZA VIRUSES IN MIGRATORY BIRDS IN EGYPT, 2003–09. J Wildl Dis 1 July 2012; 48 (3): 669–675. doi: https://doi.org/10.7589/0090-3558-48.3.669
Download citation file:
Citing articles via
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus H5N1 in Double-crested Cormorants (Nannopterum auritum) of the Chesapeake Bay, USA
Johanna Harvey, Jeffery D. Sullivan, Rebecca L. Poulson, Deborah L. Carter, Cindy P. Driscoll, Peter C. McGowan, Carl R. Callahan, Amy W. O’Donnell, Jennifer M. Mullinax, David E. Stallknecht, Diann J. Prosser
Hematology, Plasma Biochemistry, Protein Electrophoresis, and Pathogen Surveillance in Headstarted and Wild-Reared Populations of Blanding’s Turtles (Emydoidea blandingii) in Three Northern Illinois, USA, Counties
Alexis Davidson, Michelle W. Kendall, Maura Ryan, Kayla Ladez, Samantha Bradley, Carley Lionetto, William Graser, Gary Glowacki, Daniel Thompson, Richard B. King, Callie K. Golba, Kaitlin Moorhead, Laura Adamovicz, Matthew C. Allender
Are Domestic Dogs (Canis familiaris) the Family Scapegoats? A Systematic Review of Canine Distemper Virus in African Wildlife, 1978–2021
Shaleen K. S. Angwenyi, Nicola J. Rooney, Mark C. Eisler
Evaluation of RT-QuIC Diagnostic Performance for Chronic Wasting Disease Detection Using Elk (Cervus canadensis) Ear Punches
Damani N. Bryant, Roxanne J. Larsen, Kristin J. Bondo, Andrew S. Norton, Andrew J. Lindbloom, Steven L. Griffin, Peter A. Larsen, Tiffany M. Wolf, Stuart S. Lichtenberg
Serologic Evidence of Exposure to Leishmania infantum in Captive and Free-Ranging European Bison (Bison bonasus) in Poland, 2017–23
Anna Didkowska, Víctor Martín-Santander, Marlena Wojciechowska, Wanda Olech, Krzysztof Anusz, Antonio Fernández, Janine E. Davies, Marta Ruíz de Arcaute, Delia Lacasta, Sergio Villanueva-Saz, Diana Marteles