A small-scale study on airborne transmission of H9N2 avian influenza virus under field conditions

Song Li; Yufa Zhou; Shujuan Gao; Quanhai Pang; Zengmin Miao

doi:10.3855/jidc.9013

A small-scale study on airborne transmission of H9N2 avian influenza virus under field conditions

Authors

Song Li Taishan Medical University, Tai’an, China
Yufa Zhou Daiyue Bureau of Animal Husbandry, Tai’an, China
Shujuan Gao Daiyue Bureau of Animal Husbandry, Tai’an, China
Quanhai Pang Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu, China
Zengmin Miao Taishan Medical University, Tai’an, China

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3855/jidc.9013

Keywords:

AIV, Airborne transmission, RRT-PCR, H9N2, field conditions

Abstract

Introduction: H9N2 avian influenza viruses (AIV) can transmit in chicken flocks through direct contact and aerosols. Nevertheless, data on airborne transmission of AIV is very limited, especially under field conditions. To fill this literature gap, this study was designed to investigate airborne transmission of H9N2 AIV originating from infected chicken flocks under field conditions, with the aim to further characterize the airborne transmission of H9N2 AIV.

Methodology: Oropharyngeal swabs were collected from different diseased chickens to confirm H9N2 AIV infection. All glass impingers 30 (AGI-30) were used to collect indoor, upwind and downwind air samples for three chicken houses with H9N2 AIV infected chickens. Swabs and air samples were tested for H9N2 AIV using a real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RRT-PCR). H9N2 AIV was isolated in embryonated chicken eggs and hemagglutinin (HA) gene sequence similarity of the isolated AIV was compared.

Results: The results showed that indoor air samples were all RRT-PCR positive for H9N2 AIV. Downwind air samples collected between 10 m and 1.5 km away from the chicken houses were also found positive with an average load 2.62-5.21×10³ RNA copies/m³. However, upwind air samples were all negative for H9N2 AIV. In addition, H9N2 AIV was isolated from swabs and indoor air samples.

Conclusion: In summary, this study provides insights into the airborne transmission of H9N2 AIV under field conditions.

Downloads

Published

2018-01-10

How to Cite

Li S, Zhou Y, Gao S, Pang Q, Miao Z (2018) A small-scale study on airborne transmission of H9N2 avian influenza virus under field conditions. J Infect Dev Ctries 11:962–966. doi: 10.3855/jidc.9013

Download Citation

Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS)

Issue

Vol. 11 No. 12: December 2017

Section

Brief Original Articles

License

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).