Effects Of Influenza A Virus Infection On Migrating Mallard Ducks

Main Category: Bird Flu / Avian Flu
Also Included In: Veterinary;  Biology / Biochemistry
Article Date: 03 Dec 2008 - 5:00 PDT

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Mallard ducks are a main reservoir for low-pathogenic avian influenza virus in nature, yet surprisingly little is known about how infection affects these birds.

We analyzed 10,000 samples from migratory mallards in Sweden for presence of influenza virus and were able to demonstrate that infected birds were leaner than uninfected birds, and that weight loss was related to the amount of virus shed in their faeces.

Although many mallard populations are migratory, the short virus shedding time (often less than a week) imply that individual birds are not long-distance disperser of the virus on a continental scale.

Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

Proceedings B is the Royal Society's flagship biological research journal, dedicated to the rapid publication and broad dissemination of high-quality research papers, reviews and comment and reply papers. The scope of journal is diverse and is especially strong in organismal biology.

Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences