A SURVEY OF VIRUS INFECTION IN SUB‐ANTARCTIC PENGUINS ON MACQUARIE ISLAND, SOUTHERN OCEAN

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Abstract
SUMMARY Serums from 1002 penguins of 4 species on Macquarie Island, a sub‐antarctic island in the Southern Ocean, were examined for antibody to Newcastle disease virus (NDV), influenza A virus, avian paramyxovirus, alphavirus and flavivirus.No evidence of haemagglutination‐inhibition antibody to influenza A virus or alphavirus was detected. Serums from 6% of royal penguins sampled gave positive reactions to NDV while the other 3 species were negative.Antibody to a flavivirus and an avian paramyxovirus, other than NDV, was detected in 3 of the 4 penguin species.Cloacal swabs from 831 penguins of 4 species were examined for the presence of viruses. Six isolates of paramyxovirus, other than NDV, were obtained from swabs taken from royal and king penguins at 2 widely separated sites on the island.