Isolation of reoviruses from Pekin ducks in Australia

摘要

With the aim of isolating herpesviruses, virus isolation was attempted from tissue samples from 73 ducks in Australia, where duck plague is considered an exotic disease. No herpesviruses were isolated, but reoviruses were isolated from 9 ducks. Most of the isolates were obtained from samples of intestines and all of the 9 ducks that yielded reoviruses were considered to be healthy. The viruses were isolated in duck embryo liver or kidney cells and caused cytopathic effect and cell death. The viruses were passaged in embryonated duck eggs and the chorioallantoic membrane of the eggs showed a pock-like thickening. The isolates were identified as reoviruses by their characteristic electron microscopic appearance. The study highlights the importance of confirming the identity of viruses isolated from ducks. In countries where duck plague is common, reoviruses could easily be misidentified as duck plague virus.