Evaluation of Non-Vector Transmission of Usutu Virus in Domestic Canaries (Serinus canaria).

ABSTRACT: Usutu virus (USUV) is a flavivirus transmitted to avian species through mosquito bites that causes mass mortalities in wild and captive bird populations. However, several cases of positive dead birds have been recorded during the winter, a vector-free period. To explain how USUV "overwinters", the main hypothesis is bird-to-bird transmission, as shown for the closely related West Nile virus. To address this question, we experimentally challenged canaries with intranasal inoculation of USUV, which led to systemic dissemination of the virus, provided the inoculated dose was sufficient (>10² TCID₅₀). We also highlighted the oronasal excretion of infectious viral particles in infected birds. Next, we co-housed infected birds with naive sentinels, to determine whether onwa

SUBMITTER: Blanquer A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10819963 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature