Transovarial antibody transfer in owls has not been demonstrated for West Nile virus (WNV). We sampled chicks from captive adult WNV-antibody-positive Eastern Screech-Owls (Megascops asio) to evaluate the prevalence of transovarial maternal antibody transfer, as well as titers and duration of maternal antibodies. Twenty-four owlets aged 1 to 27 days old circulated detectable antibodies with neutralizing antibody titers ranging from 20 to 1600 (median 1:40). Demonstrating that WNV antibodies are passively transferred transovarially is important for accurate interpretation of serologic data from young birds.
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1 September 2006
Passive West Nile Virus Antibody Transfer from Maternal Eastern Screech-Owls (Megascops asio) to Progeny
D. C. Hahn,
Nicole M. Nemeth,
Eric Edwards,
Patricia R. Bright,
Nicholas Komar
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Avian Diseases
Vol. 50 • No. 3
September 2006
Vol. 50 • No. 3
September 2006
Bird
Eastern screech-owl
flavivirus
maternal antibody
passive transfer
West Nile virus