Abstract
Lymphoproliferative Disease Virus (LPDV) is a retrovirus that causes neoplastic lesions in turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris). In 2009, researchers in Georgia identified the presence of LPDV in wild turkeys throughout the eastern United States. Prior, the virus had only been documented in domestic turkeys in Europe and Israel where sick birds developed internal lesions and flock mortality was as high as 25 percent. Early surveillance suggests that the virus is widespread (from Maine to Louisiana) but little is known about the course of the disease in wild birds, the impact it may be having on turkey populations, or whether its presence poses any danger to domestic flocks. In addition, detection of LPDV in living birds is difficult because infected animals may appear asymptomatic. Diagnosis is currently limited to tissue samples obtained from hunter-killed birds. A blood test is needed to track the virus in wild birds and screen domestic flocks for potential spillover. The purpose of this study is two-fold. 1) Assess the prevalence and determine the spatial distribution of LPDV infection in wild turkeys throughout New York State and 2) develop a reliable blood test for LPDV, so that animals can be tested non-lethally, and the fate of infected birds monitored. LPDV is a novel avian retrovirus in North America and is therefore of great interest to wildlife managers, disease ecologists, and stakeholders in the poultry industry.
