THE ISOLATION OF INFLUENZA A VIRUS FROM PLUMAGE OF WATERFOWL DURING AUTUMN MIGRATION
Aim. In the present work we investigated the circulation of AIV in wild bird populations and studied the sorption of the influenza virus in the feathers of wild waterfowl nesting on reservoirs during the autumn mass migration. Material and methods. Sampling was carried out on the territory of the Novosibirsk region on Lake Chany during the period from August to September 2014-2016. Biological samples were collected from 188 wild waterfowl of various species. AIV isolation from cloacal swabs and swabs collected from feathers was carried out in the developing chick embryo system (RCC) as previously recommended. The isolated viruses were tested by HA/HI with specific sera, PCR analysis was carried out with subtyping primers. The genomes of the isolated viruses were sequenced for phylogenetic analysis. Results and discussion. As a result of monitoring, cloacal and feather swabs were collected from 188 individuals belonging to 13 species of the Anseriformes and Charadriiformes, whose representatives are the main natural reservoir of AIV. Fifteen new AI viruses were isolated from the collected samples. Four of them were isolated from plumage samples and the rate was more than 2 times lower, compared with virus isolation from cloacal swabs. Main conclusions. Thus, it can be assumed that avian influenza virus transmission by plumage during migration is not sufficiently taken into account. The key role in AIV ecology may play the virus spreading by its adsorption on bird feathers.