Maternal transfer of antibodies specific for avian influenza viruses in captive whooper swans (Cygnus cygnus)

Abstract

The transfer of maternal antibodies to offspring can effectively protect against avian influenza virus (AIV) infection during early life in chickens and can prevent AIV spread by decreasing the overall percentage of the avian population susceptible to this pathogen. Herein, we evaluated maternal antibody transfer dynamics in whooper swans (Cygnus cygnus), which represent an important AIV host species. In total, 57 eggs from 19 nests were collected to study the relationship between egg yolk AIV-specific antibody concentrations and factors including egg size, laying order, maternal serum AIV antibody titer, and maternal body condition. Overall, we found that AIV-specific antibodies were present in the serum of 63.2 % of surveyed female swans and were transferred to 50.8 % of analyzed eggs. We found maternal AIV-specific antibody concentration and body weight to be positively correlated with egg yolk AIV antibody concentration, whereas egg laying order was negatively correlated with yolk antibody titer. Overall, these findings maternal transfer of AIV-specific antibodies may function as a key mechanism governing the dynamics of AIV infection in swan populations.

Keywords: Egg laying order; Maternal antibody; Survival strategy; Whooper swan.