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Persistence of maternal antibodies to influenza A virus among captive mallards (Anas platyrhynchos)

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Abstract

Wild waterfowl are maintenance hosts of most influenza A virus (IAV) subtypes and are often the subjects of IAV surveillance and transmission models. While maternal antibodies have been detected in yolks and in nestlings for a variety of wild bird species and pathogens, the persistence of maternal antibodies to IAVs in mallard ducklings (Anas platyrhynchos) has not been previously investigated. Nonetheless, this information is important for a full understanding of IAV transmission dynamics because ducklings protected by maternal antibodies may not be susceptible to infection. In this study, we examined the transfer of IAV-specific maternal antibodies to ducklings. Blood samples were collected approximately every five days from ducklings hatched from hens previously infected with an H6 strain of IAV. Serum samples were tested for antibodies to IAV by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The median persistence of maternal antibodies in ducklings was 12.5 days (range: 4-33 days) post-hatch. The majority of ducklings (71%) had detectable maternal antibodies from 4 to 17 days post-hatch, while a small subset of individuals (29%) had detectable maternal antibodies for up to 21-33 days post-hatch. Antibody concentrations in hens near the time of egg laying were correlated with maternal antibody concentrations in the initial blood sample collected from ducklings (0-4 days post-hatch). Knowledge of the duration of maternal antibodies in ducklings will aid in the interpretation of IAV serological surveillance results and in the modeling of IAV transmission dynamics in waterfowl.

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Data availability

All data generated or analysed during this study are included in this published article and its supplementary information file (Online Resource 1).

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Acknowledgements

We thank the National Wildlife Research Center Animal Care staff for animal husbandry and veterinary care, and Kaci VanDalen, Jeremy Ellis, Nick Dannemiller, and Molly Selleck for assistance in data collection. In addition, we thank Kaci VanDalen for manuscript review, and Enrique Doster for assistance with data analysis. The USDA endorses no commercial products used in this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Wildlife Research Center, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Fort Collins, CO, USA

    Katherine L. Dirsmith, J. Jeffrey Root, Kevin T. Bentler, Heather J. Sullivan, Andrea B. Liebowitz, Lauren H. Petersen, Hailey E. McLean & Susan A. Shriner

  2. College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA

    Katherine L. Dirsmith

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  1. Katherine L. Dirsmith
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  2. J. Jeffrey Root
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Katherine L. Dirsmith.

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Welfare of animals

All applicable national and institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed. All procedures performed in studies involving animals were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institution at which the studies were conducted. The study was conducted under NWRC IACUC Approval QA-1912.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Funding

This study was funded by the United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services.

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Handling Editor: Ayato Takada.

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Online resource 1

Hen and duckling influenza A virus antibody concentrations. Hen sera were collected monthly and duckling sera were collected approximately every five days. Hen IAV antibody concentrations near the time of laying and duckling IAV antibody concentrations were determined by ELISA and are represented here as S/N ratios. Each duckling’s S/N ratio is listed in association with its corresponding band number, nest and clutch identification, hatch date, corresponding hen band number, and corresponding hen S/N ratio. (CSV 40 kb)

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Dirsmith, K.L., Jeffrey Root, J., Bentler, K.T. et al. Persistence of maternal antibodies to influenza A virus among captive mallards (Anas platyrhynchos). Arch Virol 163, 3235–3242 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00705-018-3978-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00705-018-3978-4

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