Distribution of attenuated goose parvoviruses in Muscovy ducklings.

With a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method, goose parvovirus (GPV) DNA was detected in Muscovy ducklings inoculated with attenuated GPV strains, IH and IHC. Strain IH that had been passed 20 times in Muscovy duck embryos could be detected in ducklings at 2- to 28-days after oral inoculation by PCR, however, a cell culture adapted strain IHC that had been passed 15 times in Muscovy duck embryos and then successively 50 times in Muscovy duck embryo fibroblasts could not be detected by 6 days postinoculation by the oral route, but via intramuscular inoculation the virus was detected from 6 dpi. With both strains Muscovy ducklings produced neutralizing antibodies against GPV, but GPV could be recovered from heart muscles even in birds that had high titer of neutralizing antibody. This means that GPV remains in birds for a long period under the presence of high titer of neutralizing antibody in the serum. Recovery of the virus was consistent with PCR results with one exception in which the bird had a neutralizing antibody titer of more than 100,000. After inoculation of these strains, no clinical signs were detected in ducklings. These results suggest that strains IH and IHC can be candidates for live attenuated vaccine for GPV infection.