Taqman real-time PCR detects Avipoxvirus DNA in blood of Hawai'i 'amakihi (Hemignathus virens).

ABSTRACT:

Background

Avipoxvirus sp. is a significant threat to endemic bird populations on several groups of islands worldwide, including Hawai'i, the Galapagos Islands, and the Canary Islands. Accurate identification and genotyping of Avipoxvirus is critical to the study of this disease and how it interacts with other pathogens, but currently available methods rely on invasive sampling of pox-like lesions and may be especially harmful in smaller birds.

Methodology/principal findings

Here, we present a nested TaqMan Real-Time PCR for the detection of the Avipoxvirus 4b core protein gene in archived blood samples from Hawaiian birds. The method was successful in amplifying Avipoxvirus DNA from packed blood cells of one of seven Hawaiian honeycreepers with confirmed Avipoxvirus infecti

SUBMITTER: Farias ME 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2877708 | biostudies-literature | 2010 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature