BACKGROUND: Protozoa are common in poultry and otherbirds and can cause mild to severe disease. OBJECTIVES: Thisstudy was concerned with the prevalence of parasitic protozoa inwild waterfowl in Caspian sea lagoons in the North of Iran.METHODS:Atotal of 293 waterfowl belonging to various generaincluding Tadorna tadorna (common shelduck),Aythya fuligula(Tufted duck), Aythya ferina (Common puchard...

In 2015, a major outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) infection devastated poultry facilities in Minnesota, USA. To understand the potential role of wild birds, we tested 3,139 waterfowl fecal samples and 104 sick and dead birds during March 9-June 4, 2015. HPAIV was isolated from a Cooper's hawk but not from waterfowl fecal samples.

Here, we report the complete genome sequence of an H6N8 avian influenza virus (AIV) isolated from wild waterfowl in Poyang Lake, China, in 2016. Phylogenetic analysis showed that it was a novel reassortant AIV between domestic ducks and wild waterfowl. The finding of this study is helpful for our understanding of the ecology and the evolutionary characteristics of H6 subtypes of AIV in birds.

background: protozoa are common in poultry and otherbirds and can cause mild to severe disease. objectives: thisstudy was concerned with the prevalence of parasitic protozoa inwild waterfowl in caspian sea lagoons in the north of iran.methods:atotal of 293 waterfowl belonging to various generaincluding tadorna tadorna (common shelduck),aythya fuligula(tufted duck), aythya ferina (common puchard...

Four waterfowl were collected in the Tri-State Mining District (Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri, USA), an area known to be contaminated with lead, cadmium and zinc (Zn). They were part of a larger group of 20 waterfowl collected to determine the exposure of birds to metal contamination at the site. The four waterfowl (three Branta canadensis, one Anas platyrhynchos) had mild to severe degenerativ...

Forced copulation is a male reproductive strategy in a variety of animals but rare among avian species, with the notable exceptions of waterfowl (family Anatidae) and at least 1 passerine species, the New Zealand stitchbird or hihi Notiomystis cincta. The presence of forced extrapair copulation in these species challenges the perception that females control extrapair copulations (EPC) across av...

Seasonal migration of waterfowl, in which avian influenza viruses are enzootic, plays a strong role in the ecology of the disease and has been implicated in several zoonotic epidemics and pandemics. Recent investigations have established that with just 1 mutation current avian influenza viral strains gain the ability to be readily transmitted between humans. These investigations further motivat...