Avian influenza virus (A/Chicken/Pennsylvania/83; H5N2) was recovered from the yolk, albumen, and shell surface of eggs obtained from naturally infected chicken flocks in Pennsylvania and Virginia. These findings represent the first reported isolation of avian influenza virus from the internal contents of eggs from naturally infected flocks. The need for adequate safeguards to prevent spread of the virus during commercial movement of table and hatching eggs, cracked and "checked" eggs, and egg flats and other materials is emphasized.

From October 1973 to September 1981, 2,882,111 birds were offered for importation into the United States. All were quarantined for 30 days, and specimens were submitted to the laboratory for virus-isolation studies. Viruses were isolated from specimens from 26.3% (598/2,274) of the quarantined lots of birds. Viscerotropic velogenic Newcastle disease virus (VVNDV) was isolated from 141 lots. Nonviscerotropic velogenic Newcastle disease virus (VNDV) was isolated from six lots. All VVNDV- and VNDV-positive lots were refused entry. The percentage of lots refused entry declined from 31.6% in 1974 to 2.9% in 1981. Mesogenic Newcastle disease virus (NDV) was isolated from three lots, and lentogenic NDV was isolated from 23 lots. Lots positive for mesogenic and lentogenic NDV were allowed to enter the United States. Hemagglutinating (HA) viruses other than NDV were isolated from 24.5% (373/1,521) of the lots imported through privately owned quarantine facilities. Of the 8,563 HA viruses isolated, 1,558 were selected for identification. Forty-six percent were identified as paramyxovirus (PMV)-2, 34% were PMV-3, and 20% were influenza A viruses possessing the hemagglutinin subtypes H3, H4, H7, and H10 and the neuraminidase subtypes N1, N6, N7, and N8. The frequency of PMV-2 and PMV-3 isolations fluctuated from year to year, whereas the frequency of isolations of influenza A viruses decreased from 64% in 1974 to 0.2% in 1981. Viruses that did not agglutinate chicken red blood cells were isolated from 52 lots. Psittacine herpesvirus (Pacheco's disease) was isolated from 25 lots of psittacines. Viruses identified by electron microscopy as reoviruses were isolated from 24 lots.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Because ducks are considered an important reservoir for type A influenza virus, and type A influenza viruses had not been recovered from ducks in Ohio, a 3-year virus surveillance study was conducted in Ohio waterfowl and waterfowl passing through Ohio to determine if domestic turkeys were at risk of exposure to avian influenza (AI) viruses from the waterfowl reservoir. The prevalence of AI infections in ducks during the fall migration averaged about 5.9%. The 55 waterfowl-origin type A influenza viruses recovered from ducks during fall 1986, 1987, and 1988 represented 23 different hemagglutinin-neuraminidase sub-type combinations of type A influenza viruses. Virus recovery frequencies ranged from 3.6% to 7.8% between years, from 2.0% to 8.2% between study sites, from 0.0% to 16.7% for sampling days, and from 0.0% to 14.3% among species of ducks sampled.