Screening for infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV), the poultry virus in Adelie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) in the Ross Sea : blood samples from adelie penguins at Cape Bird and Cape Royds

Antibodies for the infectious bursal disease virus (IBVD) were found in emperor and adelie penguin populations near Australia's Mawson Base. IBDV was not directly detected, nor were any clinical disease symptoms observed. The potential for the introduction of IBDV is possible through human-penguin contact, as well as penguin-penguin and penguin-skua contact and therefore adelie penguins were screened in the Ross Sea for IBDV. Blood samples were collected from adelie penguins at Cape Bird and Cape Royds and screened for the presence of IBDV using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay and the reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction methods.