Sample collection
The survey covered the time period from 2014 to 2019 and targeted aMPV subtype B detected during routine diagnostic activity performed in Italy by the Universities of Bologna and Padua or in Spain by the Centre de Sanitat Avícola de Catalunya i Aragó (CESAC).
Samples originated from different European countries and were usually collected during outbreaks of respiratory disorders referable to aMPV infections in turkey, chicken or guinea fowl flocks. Sampling was also performed for epidemiological purposes in absence of clear clinical signs.
As a rule, samples consisted of pools of 10 rhino-pharyngeal swabs per flock as previously suggested (Catelli et al., 2004).