Gut Virome of Domestic Ducks (Anas platyrhynchos)

The duck (Anas platyrhynchos) is one of the most economically important waterfowl as a source of meat, eggs and feathers and serve as the principal natural reservoir for influenza A viruses. Effective prediction of future viral epidemic or pandemic requires an in-depth understanding of the virome of key animal species. To obtain an initial unbiased measure of the viral diversity in the enteric tract of ducks, we sequenced viral nucleic acid from cloacal swabs collected from the flock of 23 domestic ducks which are share water bodies with migratory birds/ water fowls.