Hemby CM, Allender MC, Cárdenas-Alayza S, Kayastha. Comparison of Rapid Antigen Test and Quantitative PCR for Detection of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus in Free-Ranging Peruvian Seabirds. J Wildl Dis. 2025 May 23
The recent highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak in Peru devastated seabird populations and was associated with mass mortality events in marine mammals. The first mortality events were observed in coastal Peru in 2022, with the death of hundreds of Peruvian Pelicans (Pelecanus thagus). The outbreak response included health assessments and attempts to use rapid virus detection methods in the field on live and dead birds. Our study compared the FluDETECT Avian rapid antigen screening test that is commonly used in poultry with reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) for the detection of HPAI virus in Peruvian seabirds. In total, 43 birds across five species were evaluated in this study: Humboldt Penguins (Spheniscus humboldti; n=6), Guanay Cormorants (Leucocarbo bougainvilliorum [Phalacrocorax bougainvillii]; n=19), Peruvian Pelicans (n=13), Kelp Gulls (Larus dominicanus; n=2), and Peruvian Boobies (Sula variegata; n=3). We did not find agreement between the results of the rapid antigen test and the RT-qPCR (Cohen kappa=0.14). The diagnostic sensitivity of the rapid test was low (33%), whereas the specificity was 100%. Based on these findings, we do not recommend the FluDETECT Avian rapid antigen test for influenza screening in seabird species, although given the high specificity, a positive result from this rapid test should be interpreted as a true positive.
See Also:
Latest articles in those days:
- [preprint]Mass mortality at penguin mega-colonies due to avian cholera confounds H5N1 HPAIV surveillance in Antarctica 9 hours ago
- [preprint]How the 1918-1920 Influenza Pandemic Spread Across Switzerland - Spatial Patterns and Determinants of Incidence and Mortality 9 hours ago
- Influenza C Virus in Children With Acute Bronchiolitis and Febrile Seizures 13 hours ago
- Feasibility and Safety of Aerosolized Influenza Virus Challenge in Humans Using Two Modern Delivery Systems 14 hours ago
- Avian Influenza Weekly Update # 1026: 12 December 2025 1 days ago
[Go Top] [Close Window]


