Biomedical Letters

Surveillance of low pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus among non-vaccinated birds in Pakistan

Adeela Sharif 1,2, Naila Siddique 1,2*, Muhammad Athar Abbas 1,2, Saba Rafique 1, Saba Farooq 1, Rabia Nawaz 1

1 National Reference Lab for Poultry Diseases, Animal Health Program, National Agricultural Research Centre, Islamabad-44000, Pakistan

2 PARC Institute of Advanced Studies in Agriculture, Islamabad-44000, Pakistan

Abstract

Influenza viruses from wild birds can be a reason of outbreak in commercial poultry and upon exposure it may also infect humans. Extensive surveillance is required to understand the routes of transmission of virus and circulating virus subtype. In the present study the prevalence, seroconversion and biological characterization of low pathogenic Avian Influenza viruses (LPAIV) were investigated from Non-vaccinated poultry birds from different areas of Pakistan during 2014. Out of 499 serum samples seroconversion was recorded in 206 samples. During investigation out of 797 swab samples, 55 isolations through in ovo inoculation and 68 detections of AIV H9 via PCR were recorded. Biological characterization of randomly selected isolates revealed that all the inoculated isolates were low pathogenic. Conclusively, wild migrant birds have a significant role in the dissemination of AIVs and the backyard poultry act as an intermediate host in spreading of infection to commercial poultry. Apart from detecting LPAIV from Non-vaccinated poultry birds, the PCR was able to detect higher number of AIV which would otherwise have been neglected by routine lab methods or falsely diagnosed and treated undesirably.