A genetic linkage map for the duck (Anas platyrhynchos) was developed within a cross between two extreme Peking duck lines by linkage analysis of 155 polymorphic microsatellite markers, including 84 novel markers reported in this study. A total of 115 microsatellite markers were placed into 19 linkage groups. The sex-averaged map spans 1353.3 cM, with an average interval distance of 15.04 cM. T...

Certain morphological differences render it possible to recognize duck erythrocytes after introduction into the circulating blood of chick embryos infected with P. lophurae. 4 hours afterward, considerable numbers of merozoites have entered duck erythrocytes, while the parasitemia of the chick itself remains essentially unchanged in degree. By estimating the numbers of potentially invading mero...

Pidan and salted duck eggs are of nutritional rich alternative duck egg products which are predominantly consumed in China, Thailand, South Korea and other Chinese migrated countries. Both eggs are rich in proteins, lipids, unsaturated fatty acids and minerals. A Pidan whole egg contains 13.1% of protein, 10.7% of fat, 2.25% of carbohydrate and 2.3% of ash, whereas the salted duck egg contains ...

The complete genomic sequence of a Pekin duck origin reovirus (DRV) from China was determined. The genome comprises 23,419 bp, with segments ranging from 1,191 bp (S4) to 3,959 bp (L1). Pairwise comparisons and phylogenetic analysis indicate that the Pekin duck origin reovirus is more closely related to the new type of Muscovy duck origin reovirus (N-MDRV) identified recently than to the chicke...

Knowledge of the relationship between waterfowl hunters and harvest levels may better inform harvest management decisions. We examined frequency of different sizes of daily harvests among duck hunters, and hunters’ contributions to duck harvest in the Central Flyway from 1975–1984, 1988–1993, and 2002–2011 using the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Parts Collection Survey. We stratified hunters...

Introduction In all mammals, the middle ear is made up of an eardrum and three hearing bones we call ossicles. These ossicles function as an impedance match between the air in the outer ear and the fluids in the cochlea of the inner ear. Acoustic energy is absorbed by the eardrum, converting it into mechanical vibrations, and the ossicles transports these vibrations in a very efficient way towa...

Duck populations are considered to be a reservoir of Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus H5N1 in some agricultural production systems, as they are able to shed the virus for several days without clinical signs. Countries endemically affected with HPAI in Asia are characterised by production systems where ducks are fed on post-harvest spilled rice. During this scavenging process it is...

To assess the inducibility of avian MT genes and potential tolerability of their proteins to element exposure, we investigated the expression profiles of MT isoforms by metal accumulation in wild cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo) and mallards (Anas platyrhynchos). We also measured transcriptional activities of avian MT genes by elements and detoxification potencies of their in vitro-expressed MT...