Corvidae feather pulp and West Nile virus detection
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Updated: Aug 23, 2026

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Rapid Diagnosis of Avian Influenza Virus in Wild Birds: Use of a Portable rRT-PCR and Freeze-dried Reagents in the Field
Published on: August 2, 2011
Douglas E Docherty1, Renee Romaine Long, Kathryn M Griffin
1Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survery, National Wildlife Health Center, Madison, Wisconsin 53711, USA. doug_docherty@usgs.gov
Emerging Infectious Diseases
|June 18, 2004
Abstract:
We evaluated cloacal swab, vascular pulp of flight feather, and kidney and spleen pool samples from carcasses of members of the family Corvidae as sources of West Nile virus (WNV). The cloacal swab, kidney and spleen pool, and feather pulp were the source of WNV in 38%, 43%, and 77%, respectively, of the carcasses.

