American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) Science Article 13
abstract
A herpesvirus was isolated from the liver of a captive-bred American kestrel(Falco sparverius) which had died of inclusion body disease. Initial isolation wasachieved in chicken embryo fibroblasts after three blind passages. Cell-adapted virusproduced a distinct rounding of CEF cells within 24 to 48 h. Biologic and serologictests suggested that the kestrel virus is similar to falcon herpesvirus and pigeonherpesvirus and is at least partially related to owl herpesvirus. However, serologictests indicated that the kestrel herpesvirus is neither related to infectiouslaryngotracheitis virus nor to a herpesvirus from a psittacine bird; (Eupsittulacanicularis) with Pacheco’s parrot disease. This is the first report on the recovery of aherpesvirus similar to falcon herpesvirus from an American kestrel with naturallyoccurringinclusion body disease, and on the serologic comparison between falconherpesvirus and a psittacine herpesvirus.
L N. D. POTGIETER, Journal of Wildlife Diseases Vol. 15, January, 1979