Characterization of Nine Avian Paramyxoviruses

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Abstract
Nine avian paramyxoviruses were isolated from tracheal and cloacal swabbings of feral ducks and geese in the Atlantic Flyway. Inoculation of the viruses into specific-pathogen-free chicken embryos resulted in sporadic mortality. The allantoic fluids from infected embryos agglutinated chicken and rat erythrocytes but the isolants were serologically unrelated to influenza virus type A, Newcastle disease virus, Yucaipa virus and turkey/Wisconsin/68. On the basis of hemagglutination-inhibition and virus-neutralization tests, the viruses were separated into 6 antigenic groups which were supported by similarities in biological and physicochemical properties of the isolants. Biological characterization showed that 8 of the isolants possessed hemagglutinin that was stable for < 15 min at 56.degree. C, whereas the hemagglutinin of the remaining virus was stable between 15 and 30 min. Investigation of the elution times revealed 4 rapid-eluting viruses, 1 moderate-to-rapid eluter and 4 slow-eluting viruses. The isolants were capable of replication in Vero [African green monkey kidney] cell cultures, resulting in varying degrees of cytopathology. Intracerebral inoculation of day old chicks and turkeys produced intracerebral pathogenicity indices similar to those of lentogenic strains of Newcastle disease virus. Intranasal inoculation of 12 day old broiler chickens (Hubbard .times. Hubbard) and turkeys (Diamond White Hybrid) induced a mild respiratory disease. Two isolants were recovered from the tracheas of inoculated birds at 4 and 10 days postinoculation. Physicochemical characterization showed that all the isolants were sensitive to chloroform treatment and relatively stable for 90 min. at 37.degree. C. EM studies showed the particle size and morphology of several virus isolants to be consistent with the paramyxovirus group.
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