DETECTION OF A NON-CULTIVATABLE CALICIVIRUS FROM THE WHITE TERN (GYGIS-ALBA-ROTHSCHILDI)

In April 1992, on Tern Island, French Frigate Shoals, Hawaii (USA), re searchers observed a hand-reared white tern hatchling (Gygis alba roth schildi) develop vesicular lesions on the webbing between its toes, 6 days after falling out of its nest. Vesicular fluid collected from the foot lesions contained virus-like particles having typical caliciviru s morphology. Calicivirus RNA was detected in the vesicular fluid by d ot hybridization with a group-specific calicivirus copy DNA probe. Att empts to cultivate the virus in African green monkey kidney cells and porcine kidney cells were unsuccessful. This is the first report of a calicivirus infection associated with vesicular disease in a wild avia n species.