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Fujita R, Tachi T, Hino M, Nagata K, Saiki M, Inumaru M, Higa Y, Itokawa K, Uemura N, Matsumura R, Kai I, Sawabe K, Kobayashi M, Isawa H, Kusakabe T, Matsuo K, Kasai S. Blowflies are potential vector for avian influenza virus at enzootic area in Japan. Sci Rep 2024; 14:10285. [PMID: 38704404 PMCID: PMC11069500 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-61026-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/06/2024] Open
Abstract
High pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) poses a significant threat to both domestic and wild birds globally. The avian influenza virus, known for environmental contamination and subsequent oral infection in birds, necessitates careful consideration of alternative introduction routes during HPAI outbreaks. This study focuses on blowflies (genus Calliphora), in particular Calliphora nigribarbis, attracted to decaying animals and feces, which migrate to lowland areas of Japan from northern or mountainous regions in early winter, coinciding with HPAI season. Our investigation aims to delineate the role of blowflies as HPAI vectors by conducting a virus prevalence survey in a wild bird HPAI-enzootic area. In December 2022, 648 Calliphora nigribarbis were collected. Influenza virus RT-PCR testing identified 14 virus-positive samples (2.2% prevalence), with the highest occurrence observed near the crane colony (14.9%). Subtyping revealed the presence of H5N1 and HxN1 in some samples. Subsequent collections in December 2023 identified one HPAI virus-positive specimen from 608 collected flies in total, underscoring the potential involvement of blowflies in HPAI transmission. Our observations suggest C. nigribarbis may acquire the HPAI virus from deceased wild birds directly or from fecal materials from infected birds, highlighting the need to add blowflies as a target of HPAI vector control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryosuke Fujita
- Laboratory of Sanitary Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, West-5 543, Motooka 744, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan.
| | - Takuji Tachi
- Biosystematics Laboratory, Faculty of Social and Cultural Studies, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Masato Hino
- Laboratory of Sanitary Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, West-5 543, Motooka 744, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan
| | - Kosuke Nagata
- Laboratory of Sanitary Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, West-5 543, Motooka 744, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan
- Hokkaido Research Organization, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Masahiro Saiki
- Laboratory of Sanitary Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, West-5 543, Motooka 744, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan
| | - Mizue Inumaru
- Department of Medical Entomology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yukiko Higa
- Department of Medical Entomology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kentaro Itokawa
- Department of Medical Entomology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Nozomi Uemura
- Department of Medical Entomology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ryo Matsumura
- Department of Medical Entomology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Izumi Kai
- Department of Medical Entomology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kyoko Sawabe
- Department of Medical Entomology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Mutsuo Kobayashi
- Department of Medical Entomology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Haruhiko Isawa
- Department of Medical Entomology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takahiro Kusakabe
- Laboratory of Insect Genome Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Kazunori Matsuo
- Biosystematics Laboratory, Faculty of Social and Cultural Studies, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Shinji Kasai
- Department of Medical Entomology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
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Muñoz G, Mendieta V, Ulloa M, Agüero B, Torres CG, Kruger L, Neira V. Lack of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 in the South Shetland Islands in Antarctica, Early 2023. Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:1008. [PMID: 38612247 PMCID: PMC11011164 DOI: 10.3390/ani14071008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
In January 2023, an active surveillance initiative was undertaken in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica, with the specific objective of ascertaining evidence for the presence of avian influenza, and specifically the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus subtype H5N1 (HPAIV H5N1). The investigation encompassed diverse locations, including Hanna Point (Livingston Island), Lions Rump (King George Island), and Base Escudero (King George Island), with targeted observations on marine mammals (southern elephant seals), flying birds (the kelp gull, snowy sheathbill and brown skua), and penguins (the chinstrap penguin and gentoo penguin). The study encompassed the examination of these sites for signs of mass mortality events possibly attributable to HPAIV H5N1, as well as sampling for influenza detection by means of real-time RT-PCR. Two hundred and seven (207) samples were collected, including 73 fecal samples obtained from the environment from marine mammals (predominantly feces of southern elephant seals), and 77 cloacal samples from penguins of the genus Pygoscelis (predominantly from the gentoo penguin). No evidence of mass mortality attributable to HPAIV H5N1 was observed, and all the collected samples tested negative for the presence of the virus, strongly suggesting the absence of the virus in the Antarctic territory during the specified period. This empirical evidence holds significant implications for both the ecological integrity of the region and the potential zoonotic threats, underscoring the importance of continued surveillance and monitoring in the Antarctic ecosystem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Muñoz
- Departamento de Medicina Preventiva Animal, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias y Pecuarias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8820808, Chile; (G.M.); (V.M.); (B.A.)
- Programa de Doctorado en Ciencias Silvoagropecuarias y Veterinarias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8820808, Chile
| | - Vanessa Mendieta
- Departamento de Medicina Preventiva Animal, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias y Pecuarias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8820808, Chile; (G.M.); (V.M.); (B.A.)
| | - Mauricio Ulloa
- Veterinary Histology and Pathology, Institute of Animal Health and Food Safety, Veterinary School, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35001 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain;
- Servicio Nacional de Pesca y Acuicultura, Valparaíso 2340159, Chile
| | - Belén Agüero
- Departamento de Medicina Preventiva Animal, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias y Pecuarias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8820808, Chile; (G.M.); (V.M.); (B.A.)
- Programa de Doctorado en Ciencias Silvoagropecuarias y Veterinarias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8820808, Chile
| | - Cristian G. Torres
- Departamento de Ciencias Clínicas, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias y Pecuarias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8820808, Chile;
| | - Lucas Kruger
- Instituto Antártico Chileno, Punta Arenas 6200000, Chile;
- Millennium Institute of Biodiversity of Antarctic and Subantarctic Ecosystems (BASE), Ñuñoa 7750000, Chile
| | - Victor Neira
- Departamento de Medicina Preventiva Animal, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias y Pecuarias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8820808, Chile; (G.M.); (V.M.); (B.A.)
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Gartrell BD, Jolly MJ, Hunter SA. The risks and consequences of a high pathogenicity avian influenza outbreak in Aotearoa New Zealand. N Z Vet J 2024; 72:63-65. [PMID: 38228153 DOI: 10.1080/00480169.2023.2294915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- B D Gartrell
- Wildbase, Tāwharau Ora - School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | - M J Jolly
- Wildbase, Tāwharau Ora - School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | - S A Hunter
- Wildbase, Tāwharau Ora - School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
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Saavedra I, Rabadán-González J, Aragonés D, Figuerola J. Can Citizen Science Contribute to Avian Influenza Surveillance? Pathogens 2023; 12:1183. [PMID: 37764991 PMCID: PMC10535995 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12091183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Revised: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Global change is an important driver of the increase in emerging infectious diseases in recent decades. In parallel, interest in nature has increased, and different citizen science platforms have been developed to record wildlife observations from the general public. Some of these platforms also allow registering the observations of dead or sick birds. Here, we test the utility of live, sick and dead observations of birds recorded on the platform Observation.org for the early detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) outbreaks in the wild in Belgium and The Netherlands. There were no significant differences in the morbidity/mortality rate through Observation.org one to four weeks in advance. However, the results show that the HPAIV outbreaks officially reported by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) overlapped in time with sudden increases in the records of sick and dead birds in the wild. In addition, in two of the five main HPAIV outbreaks recorded between 2016 and 2021, wild Anseriformes mortality increased one to two months before outbreak declaration. Although we cannot exclude that this increase was related to other causes such as other infectious diseases, we propose that Observation.org is a useful nature platform to complement animal health surveillance in wild birds. We propose possible approaches to improve the utility of the platform for pathogen surveillance in wildlife and discuss the potential for HPAIV outbreak detection systems based on citizen science to complement current surveillance programs of health authorities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Saavedra
- Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Estación Biológica de Doñana, C/Américo Vespucio 26, E-41092 Sevilla, Spain;
| | | | - David Aragonés
- Remote Sensing and GIS Laboratory (LAST-EBD), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, Estación Biológica de Doñana, C/Américo Vespucio 26, E-41092 Sevilla, Spain;
| | - Jordi Figuerola
- Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Estación Biológica de Doñana, C/Américo Vespucio 26, E-41092 Sevilla, Spain;
- CIBER Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), E-28028 Madrid, Spain
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Fernández-Díaz M, Villanueva-Pérez D, Tataje-Lavanda L, Montalvan-Avalos A, Isasi-Rivas G, Lulo-Vargas M, Fernández-Sánchez M. Detection and Genomic Characterization of an Avian Influenza Virus Subtype H5N1 (Clade 2.3.4.4b) Strain Isolated from a Pelican in Peru. Microbiol Resour Announc 2023:e0019923. [PMID: 37125942 DOI: 10.1128/mra.00199-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Surveillance helps us identify and monitor strains with zoonotic potential. A tracheal swab from a pelican on a Peruvian beach was H5N1 positive (clade 2.3.4.4b) using Oxford Nanopore's MinION platform. The near-complete genome sequence of strain VFAR-140 will aid us in understanding avian influenza epidemiology and spread.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manolo Fernández-Díaz
- Laboratorios de Investigación y Desarrollo, Farmacológicos Veterinarios S.A.C. (FARVET SAC), Chincha Alta, Ica, Peru
| | - Doris Villanueva-Pérez
- Laboratorios de Investigación y Desarrollo, Farmacológicos Veterinarios S.A.C. (FARVET SAC), Chincha Alta, Ica, Peru
| | - Luis Tataje-Lavanda
- Laboratorios de Investigación y Desarrollo, Farmacológicos Veterinarios S.A.C. (FARVET SAC), Chincha Alta, Ica, Peru
- Escuela Profesional de Medicina Humana, Universidad Privada San Juan Bautista, Lima, Peru
| | - Angela Montalvan-Avalos
- Laboratorios de Investigación y Desarrollo, Farmacológicos Veterinarios S.A.C. (FARVET SAC), Chincha Alta, Ica, Peru
| | - Gisela Isasi-Rivas
- Laboratorios de Investigación y Desarrollo, Farmacológicos Veterinarios S.A.C. (FARVET SAC), Chincha Alta, Ica, Peru
| | - Milagros Lulo-Vargas
- Laboratorios de Investigación y Desarrollo, Farmacológicos Veterinarios S.A.C. (FARVET SAC), Chincha Alta, Ica, Peru
| | - Manolo Fernández-Sánchez
- Laboratorios de Investigación y Desarrollo, Farmacológicos Veterinarios S.A.C. (FARVET SAC), Chincha Alta, Ica, Peru
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