| Summary: | Thesis (M.S.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2009 "Steller's eiders (Polysticta stelleri) and other sea duck species have undergone population declines in recent decades, and the causes for the declines remain largely unknown. As part of a study to investigate the role of disease in sea duck population declines, I further characterized Steller's eider humoral immunity by quantifying total serum immunoglobulin Y (IgY). Baseline values of total serum IgY were determined for a captive flock of Steller's eiders housed at the Alaska SeaLife Center using species-specific assays. There were no significant differences in total serum IgY between males and females or between seasons (molt and winter) for captive birds. For free-ranging Steller's eiders, mean total serum IgY was significantly higher during molt and mid-winter compared to captive baseline values, suggesting increased disease exposure. As a further investigation of the humoral immune response, experimental inoculations (low pathogenicity avian influenza and adenovirus) were conducted in mallards (Anas platyrhyncus) as a surrogate species. Quantification of total serum IgY from captive Steller's eiders provides a baseline for comparative studies of total serum IgY from free-ranging Steller's eiders. This study also provided first quantitative information about circulating IgY in free-ranging Steller's eiders"--Leaf iii US Geological Survey National Wildlife Health Center, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Alaska SeaLife Center General Introduction -- 1. A quantitative approach to determining humoral immune status in Steller's eiders using total serum IgY -- 2. Characterization of mallard (Anas platyrhyncus) humoral immune response to low pathogenicity avian influenza isolates recovered from two species of ducks in Alaska: Steller's eider (Polysticta stelleri) and northern pintail (Anas acuta) -- 3. Characterization of the immune response to a sea duck adenovirus mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) -- General conclusions.
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