Avian influenza viruses in New Zealand wild birds, with an emphasis on subtypes H5 and H7: Their distinctive epidemiology and genomic properties.

The rapid spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A (H5N1) viruses in Southeast Asia in 2004 prompted the New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries to expand its avian influenza surveillance in wild birds. A total of 18,693 birds were sampled between 2004 and 2020, including migratory shorebirds (in 2004-2009), other coastal species (in 2009-2010), and resident waterfowl (in 2004-2020). No avian influenza viruses (AIVs) were isolated from cloacal or oropharyngeal samples from migratory shorebirds or resident coastal species.

Draft Genome Sequence of a New Zealand Rickettsia-Like Organism Isolated from Farmed Chinook Salmon.

We report here the draft genome sequence of a rickettsia-like organism, isolated from a New Zealand Chinook salmon farm experiencing high mortality. The genome is approximately 3 Mb in size, has a G+C content of approximately 39.2%, and is predicted to contain 2,870 coding sequences.

Evaluation of two commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits for the detection of serum antibodies against Akabane virus in cattle.

In New Zealand, an arbovirus surveillance program has been operating for more than 20 years, which includes testing of cattle with the Akabane virus neutralization test. With the aim to replace this laborious test by an easier-to-perform enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), 2 commercial ELISA kits, ELISA-1 from France (originally from Australia) and ELISA-2 from Japan, were compared, using 334 serum samples from noninfected New Zealand cattle, and 548 serum samples from naturally infected cattle herds in Australia. Diagnostic specificities for the test methods were high, ranging from 99.

An international inter-laboratory ring trial to evaluate a real-time PCR assay for the detection of bovine herpesvirus 1 in extended bovine semen.

Six laboratories participated in a ring trial to evaluate the reliability of a real-time PCR assay for the detection of bovine herpesvirus 1 (BoHV-1) from extended bovine semen. Sets of coded samples were prepared and distributed to each of the laboratories. The sample panel contained semen from naturally and artificially infected bulls, serial dilutions of positive semen with negative semen, semen from uninfected seronegative bulls, negative semen spiked with virus, as well as serial dilutions of reference virus.

Validation of a real-time PCR assay for the detection of bovine herpesvirus 1 in bovine semen.

A real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was developed for detection of the presence of bovine herpesvirus type 1 (BoHV-1) in extended bovine semen. The assay detects a region encoding a highly conserved glycoprotein B gene. The real-time PCR assay was validated for specificity, sensitivity and repeatability using spiked semen and semen from naturally infected animals.