Avipoxvirus infection in wild birds: New findings from Slovakia and Poland

From 1996 to 2000, wild birds from five locations in Slovakia and one in Po land were tested for the presence of avipoxvirus lesions. A total of 2,509 birds of 77 species were tested. A retrospective analysis of photographs ma de in 1984 of cutaneous lesions of birds from a Slovak location was also pe rformed. Avipoxvirus infections were diagnosed by histopathological examina tion of cutaneous lesions of Sylvia atricapilla in Socovce (1999) and Prune lla modularis in Tatranska Javorina (2000) in Slovakia, and of Lanius collu rio in Krempna (2000) in Poland. An analysis of photographs revealed charac teristic avipoxvirus nodular skin lesions in another two specimens of Prune lla modularis from Socovce (1984). Analogous skin changes observed in Prune lla modularis from Socovce (1999), in Sylvia curruca from Ruske (1997) and Parus montanus from Krempna (2000) were most probably also caused by avipox virus.