Molecular Detection of Avian Influenza Virus but not West Nile Virus in Wild Birds in Northern Turkey

Abstract

In this study, a total of 402 samples (173 cloacal swab samples, 169 tracheal swab samples and 60 organ pools including the lung, spleen, liver, trachea and brain) obtained from 27 different wild avian species from Kizilirmak delta and the adjacent wetlands in northern Turkey were surveyed for the presence of RNA from Avian influenza virus (AIV) and West Nile virus (WNV) by Taqman-based real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction assay. No WNV genomic RNA was detected in any sample. In contrast, AIV RNA was found in two of 402 samples (0.49%).