VIROLOGICAL EXAMINATION OF CORMORANTS FOR ARBOVIRUSES

Cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo, Pelecaniformes) caught in southern Mo ravia (Czech Republic) in 1989 - 1990 were examined for arbovirus infe ctions. Isolation experiments were carried out using blood samples of 56 birds. The results were negative. Serological examinations of 31 bi rds were performed by haemagglutination-inhibition test (HIT) using 5 arboviral antigens of the genera Alphavirus (Sindbis - SIN) and Flaviv irus (tick-borne encephalitis - TBE, West Nile - WN) and of the family Bunyaviridae (Tahyna - TAH, Calovo - CVO). Antibodies were detected o nly to viruses SIN, WN and TAH at different frequencies: 9.7 %, 9.7 % and 22.6 %. The titres ranged from 1 : 20 to 1 : 80.