Prevalence of antibodies to avian paramyxoviruses 1, 2 and 3 in wild and domestic birds in southern Spain

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Abstract
Haemagglutination inhibition tests were used to study the prevalence of antibodies to avian paramyxovirus (PMV) serotypes 1, 2 and 3 in wild and domestic birds in Andalusia (southern Spain). Tests were performed on 341 sera from layer hens drawn from 44 flocks, 198 from nine breeder hen flocks, 123 from five broiler chicken flocks, 329 from 47 turkey flocks, 51 from four pigeon flocks, 123 from five partridge flocks, 112 from five mixed domestic flocks and 361 sera from 24 wild species. The incidence PMV‐1 antibodies was very low in wild species (1%), though higher in domestic birds (18%), due to the systematic vaccination of these species, particularly layer and breeder hens. The highest rate of infection for PMV‐2 was found in domestic species (27%) and particularly in turkeys (47%). Among wild species, the house sparrow recorded the greatest prevalence of PMV‐2 (69%). The PMV‐3 infection rate was very low both in wild (6%) and domestic species; the figure of 15% recorded for the latter appears to be due to cross reacting PMV‐1 vaccinal antibodies. The highest incidence in wild birds was recorded in the summer, whereas prevalence reached its maximum in domestic species in the winter.