04.04.2011

Since April 2010, a severe outbreak of duck viral infection, with egg drop, feed uptake decline and ovary-oviduct disease, has spread around the major duck-producing regions in China. A research paper was published by chinese researchers on 10 Mar 2011 by the electronic, free journal PLoS One.
A new virus, named BYD virus [Baiyangdian (BYD) virus (BYDV) after the region name where the virus was first isolated] was isolated in different areas, and a similar disease was reproduced in healthy egg-producing ducks, infected with the isolated virus.
From preliminary epidemiology, pathogen isolation, and reproduction of the clinical disease by the isolated virus, BYDV, Koch's postulates were fulfilled, and a new flavivirus causing a serious duck disease was identified. This is the first severe duck disease caused by a zoonotic flavivirus ever reported.