Isolation and characterization of influenza A virus (H6N2) from a temporary artificial pond in Mexico

Veterinaria Mexico OA ISSN: 2448-6760 Cite this as: Barron-Rodriguez RJ, Chavez-Maya F, Loza-Rubio E, Garcia-Espinosa G. Isolation and characterization of influenza A virus (H6N2) from a temporary artificial pond in Mexico. Veterinaria Mexico OA. 2018;5(2). doi: 10.21753/5.2.475. . Most epidemiological surveillance studies of the influenza A virus (IAV) have focused on the isolation and detection of the virus in wild birds. However, there are limited descriptions of both the wild duck population and the purpose and size of the aquatic habitats where viruses have been detected or isolated. The objective of this study was to determine if a pond of 16 hectares (39.536 acres), used for agricultural and fishing purposes and visited by approximately 9000 wild migratory ducks consisting of nine different species during the wintering stay, is suitable to support the isolation of IAV. One influenza A virus was isolated from Pekin ducks used as sentinels during the wintering stay season from September 2007 to March 2008. Only one IAV subtype was isolated from 9 of the 88 samples collected from the sentinel ducks over seven months, and the molecular characterization of this isolate revealed an H6N2 virus subtype. Based on this information, it is suggested that a pond such as the one in this study provides a suitable biological setting to support the presence of IAV, but the minimum biological environment to isolate the influenza A virus is still unknown. Figure 1. Location of the artificial pond in the State of Mexico with 19°24’22” N, 99°41’36” W coordinates and the routes of migratory birds in America (Google Earth).