Map of the estimated between-flock AIV seroprevalence and number of commercial poultry flocks sampled by Tunisian governorates from October 2010 to May 2011.

<p>Map of the estimated between-flock AIV seroprevalence and number of commercial poultry flocks sampled by Tunisian governorates from October 2010 to May 2011.</p

Descriptive statistics revealing genetic characteristics and variation of the ten microsatellite loci detected in the population of 55 <i>L. major</i> strains isolated from Tunisian rodents and worldwide.

<p>N, number of genotypes; NA, number of allele per locus; Ho, observed heterozygosity; He, expected heterozygosity; Fis, inbreeding coefficient.</p><p>Descriptive statistics revealing genetic characteristics and variation of the ten microsatellite loci detected in the population of 55 <i>L. major</i> strains isolated from Tunisian rodents and worldwide.</p

Pathogenicity of CEF cells to avian H9N2 influenza virus in the presence (CDEF) and absence (B) of trypsin.

<p>(A) mock cells. Arrows showed syncytia and plaque formations.</p

Theoretical sizes and repetition numbers among the ten-microsatellite loci in Tunisian studied isolates.

<p>*: New allele not previously described.</p><p>Theoretical sizes and repetition numbers among the ten-microsatellite loci in Tunisian studied isolates.</p

Analysis of amino acid sequences of the HA and NA proteins of current Tunisian isolates.

<p>Analysis of amino acid sequences of the HA and NA proteins of current Tunisian isolates.</p

Results of the logistic regression screening of categorical risk factors associated with cELISA IA seropositivity in 624 commercial poultry flocks during the 2010–2011 outbreaks in Tunisia.

<p>Results of the logistic regression screening of categorical risk factors associated with cELISA IA seropositivity in 624 commercial poultry flocks during the 2010–2011 outbreaks in Tunisia.</p

A linear relationship between threshold cycle and serially diluted DNA concentration or TCID50 values.

<p>PCR efficiency ((10^3.503−1)×100) was 99.87% as indicated by the slope (m = −3.503). The standard curve was generated from amplification of the H9 gene with each point represents the mean of the results from three determinations.</p

Results of the final multivariate analysis (logistic regression with governorate as a random effect) of risk factors associated with the serological status of commercial poultry flocks regarding avian influenza virus (AIV) in Tunisia during the 2010–2011 outbreaks.

<p>Results of the final multivariate analysis (logistic regression with governorate as a random effect) of risk factors associated with the serological status of commercial poultry flocks regarding avian influenza virus (AIV) in Tunisia during the 2010–2011 outbreaks.</p

Neighbour-joining tree inferred from the Dps distances calculated for 55 <i>L. major</i> strains isolated from different rodents (40 Tunisian and 15 from other geographic origins) according to the 10 microsatellites analyzed.

<p>Strains isolated among <i>P. obesus</i> (P), <i>M. shawi</i> (M), <i>Tatera sp.</i> (T) and <i>R. opimus</i> (R) were classified into 10 genotypes Lmj01, Lmj02, Lmj14, Lmj15, Lmj17, Lmj21, Lmj37, Lmj39, Lmj65 (as described in<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0107043#pone.0107043-AlJawabreh1" target="_blank">[21]</a>) and RdTN from Africa (AF), Middle East (ME) and Central Asia (CA). RdTN indicates the genotype obtained from Tunisian reservoirs. Results are shown as radial tree where the percentages (under 80%) with which a branch is supported in 1000 bootstrap replications are indicated.</p