ISOLATION OF PARAMYXOVIRUS SEROTYPE-7 FROM OSTRICHES (STRUTHIO-CAMELUS)

Paramyxovirus serotype 7 (PMV-7) was isolated from pooled intestinal c ontents of two 5-month-old ostriches (Struthio camelus). The pathogeni city of the virus was comparable with lentogenic strains of Newcastle disease virus (PMV-1) in chicken and chicken embryo pathogenicity test s. The relationship of the virus to the observed pathology of prolifer ative nonsuppurative enteritis is unknown; the Campylobacter jejuni is olated was presumably the primary pathogen. To our knowledge, this is the first report of an isolation of PMV-7 from ostriches.