Avalon virus, Sakhalin group (Nairovirus, Bunyaviridae) from the seabird tick Ixodes (Ceratixodes) uriae White 1852 in France

Abstract

Nine strains of Avalon virus were isolated from Ixodes uriae ticks collected in the Cape Sizun seabird reserve, Brittany, from 1979 to 1985, during a longitudinal study of consequences of tick-borne infections for kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla). Avalon virus strains isolated in France proved difficult to study owing to the weak infectious titres they exhibited in suckling mice or cultured cells. However, some interesting data concerning the ecology of virus infection and the morphology of the virions were obtained and are discussed.