Our previous study demonstrated that avian species possesses two distinct aryl hydrocarbon receptors (AHR1 and AHR2). To elucidate the functional characterization of avian AHRs, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) binding affinities and in vitro DRC-induced transcriptional activities of AHR isoforms from chicken (Gallus gallus), black-footed albatross (Phoebastria nigripes), common cormo...

Chick embryos are a great historical research model in basic and applied sciences. Along with other animal models, avian and specifically chicken embryo has been attended, as well. Avian fertilized eggs as a natural bioreactor are an efficient tool for producing recombinant proteins and vaccines manufacturing. Due to the limitations of birds' eggs for viral replication, avian stem cells culture...

Avian haemosporidia have been reported in various birds of Japan, which is part of the East Asian-Australian flyway and is an important stopover site for migratory birds potentially carrying new pathogens from other areas. We investigated the prevalence of avian malaria in injured wild birds, rescued in Tokyo and surrounding areas. We also evaluated the effects of migration by examining the pre...

Influenza A viruses (IAVs) are zoonotic agents, capable of crossing the species barriers. Nowadays, they still constitute a great challenge worldwide. The natural reservoir of all influenza A viruses are wild aquatic birds, despite the fact they have been isolated from a number of avian and mammalian species, including humans. Even when influenza A viruses are able to get into another than wate...

The high avian biodiversity present in the Neotropical region offers a great opportunity to explore the ecology of host-parasite relationships. We present a survey of avian haemoparasites in a megadiverse country and explore how parasite prevalences are related to physical and ecological host characteristics. Using light microscopy, we documented the presence of haemoparasites in over 2000 indi...

Using less stringent hybridization conditions and cloned viral DNA probes representing the avian sarcoma virus gag, pol, env, and long terminal repeat (LTR) gene sequences, we detected related sequences in two avian species purportedly lacking all endogenous avian leukosis viruses, the ev- chicken and the Japanese quail. The blot hybridization patterns obtained with the various probes suggest t...

The accuracy of DNA barcode databases is critical for research and practical applications. Here we apply a frequency matrix to assess sequencing errors in a very large set of avian BARCODEs. Using 11,000 sequences from 2,700 bird species, we show most avian cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) nucleotide and amino acid sequences vary within a narrow range. Except for third codon positions, nearly all (...

The highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1 subtype) recurred in Nigeria after 9 months period of no reported case. A critical look at possible sources of the re-occurrence was desirable. The objective of this study was to determine whether avian influenza viruses were present at reasonably detectable levels (0.5%) in possible "bridge" species of wild and domestic birds. The study was conducted...

Newcastle Disease (ND) is an acute, mild to severe, highly infectious and pathogenic disease of domestic poultry, caged and aviary birds as well as wild birds caused by specified viruses of the Avian Paramyxovirus Type 1 (APMV-1) [1,2]. The disease is acute contagious which is characterized by sudden onset and rapid spread within the flock resulting high morbidity and mortality. Newcastle disea...

Landscape pattern metrics are widely used for predicting habitat and species diversity. However, the relationship between landscape pattern and species diversity is typically measured at a single spatial scale, even though both landscape pattern, and species occurrence and community composition are scale-dependent. While the eff ects of scale on landscape pattern are well documented, the eff ec...