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Gadzhiev A, Petherbridge G, Sharshov K, Sobolev I, Alekseev A, Gulyaeva M, Litvinov K, Boltunov I, Teymurov A, Zhigalin A, Daudova M, Shestopalov A. Pinnipeds and avian influenza: a global timeline and review of research on the impact of highly pathogenic avian influenza on pinniped populations with particular reference to the endangered Caspian seal ( Pusa caspica). Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2024; 14:1325977. [PMID: 39071164 PMCID: PMC11273096 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2024.1325977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2023] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 07/30/2024] Open
Abstract
This study reviews chronologically the international scientific and health management literature and resources relating to impacts of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses on pinnipeds in order to reinforce strategies for the conservation of the endangered Caspian seal (Pusa caspica), currently under threat from the HPAI H5N1 subtype transmitted from infected avifauna which share its haul-out habitats. Many cases of mass pinniped deaths globally have occurred from HPAI spill-overs, and are attributed to infected sympatric aquatic avifauna. As the seasonal migrations of Caspian seals provide occasions for contact with viruses from infected migratory aquatic birds in many locations around the Caspian Sea, this poses a great challenge to seal conservation. These are thus critical locations for the surveillance of highly pathogenic influenza A viruses, whose future reassortments may present a pandemic threat to humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alimurad Gadzhiev
- Institute of Ecology and Sustainable Development, Dagestan State University, Makhachkala, Russia
| | - Guy Petherbridge
- Institute of Ecology and Sustainable Development, Dagestan State University, Makhachkala, Russia
- Caspian Centre for Nature Conservation, International Institute of Ecology and Sustainable Development, Association of Universities and Research Centers of Caspian Region States, Makhachkala, Russia
| | - Kirill Sharshov
- Research Institute of Virology, Federal Research Centre for Fundamental and Translational Medicine, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Ivan Sobolev
- Research Institute of Virology, Federal Research Centre for Fundamental and Translational Medicine, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Alexander Alekseev
- Institute of Ecology and Sustainable Development, Dagestan State University, Makhachkala, Russia
- Research Institute of Virology, Federal Research Centre for Fundamental and Translational Medicine, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Marina Gulyaeva
- Department of Natural Sciences, Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Kirill Litvinov
- Laboratory of Ecological and Biological Research, Astrakhan State Nature Biosphere Reserve, Astrakhan, Russia
| | - Ivan Boltunov
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Abdulgamid Teymurov
- Institute of Ecology and Sustainable Development, Dagestan State University, Makhachkala, Russia
| | - Alexander Zhigalin
- Institute of Ecology and Sustainable Development, Dagestan State University, Makhachkala, Russia
| | - Madina Daudova
- Institute of Ecology and Sustainable Development, Dagestan State University, Makhachkala, Russia
| | - Alexander Shestopalov
- Research Institute of Virology, Federal Research Centre for Fundamental and Translational Medicine, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
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Fair JM, Al-Hmoud N, Alrwashdeh M, Bartlow AW, Balkhamishvili S, Daraselia I, Elshoff A, Fakhouri L, Javakhishvili Z, Khoury F, Muzyka D, Ninua L, Tsao J, Urushadze L, Owen J. Transboundary determinants of avian zoonotic infectious diseases: challenges for strengthening research capacity and connecting surveillance networks. Front Microbiol 2024; 15:1341842. [PMID: 38435695 PMCID: PMC10907996 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1341842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024] Open
Abstract
As the climate changes, global systems have become increasingly unstable and unpredictable. This is particularly true for many disease systems, including subtypes of highly pathogenic avian influenzas (HPAIs) that are circulating the world. Ecological patterns once thought stable are changing, bringing new populations and organisms into contact with one another. Wild birds continue to be hosts and reservoirs for numerous zoonotic pathogens, and strains of HPAI and other pathogens have been introduced into new regions via migrating birds and transboundary trade of wild birds. With these expanding environmental changes, it is even more crucial that regions or counties that previously did not have surveillance programs develop the appropriate skills to sample wild birds and add to the understanding of pathogens in migratory and breeding birds through research. For example, little is known about wild bird infectious diseases and migration along the Mediterranean and Black Sea Flyway (MBSF), which connects Europe, Asia, and Africa. Focusing on avian influenza and the microbiome in migratory wild birds along the MBSF, this project seeks to understand the determinants of transboundary disease propagation and coinfection in regions that are connected by this flyway. Through the creation of a threat reduction network for avian diseases (Avian Zoonotic Disease Network, AZDN) in three countries along the MBSF (Georgia, Ukraine, and Jordan), this project is strengthening capacities for disease diagnostics; microbiomes; ecoimmunology; field biosafety; proper wildlife capture and handling; experimental design; statistical analysis; and vector sampling and biology. Here, we cover what is required to build a wild bird infectious disease research and surveillance program, which includes learning skills in proper bird capture and handling; biosafety and biosecurity; permits; next generation sequencing; leading-edge bioinformatics and statistical analyses; and vector and environmental sampling. Creating connected networks for avian influenzas and other pathogen surveillance will increase coordination and strengthen biosurveillance globally in wild birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeanne M. Fair
- Genomics and Bioanalytics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, United States
| | - Nisreen Al-Hmoud
- Bio-Safety and Bio-Security Center, Royal Scientific Society, Amman, Jordan
| | - Mu’men Alrwashdeh
- Bio-Safety and Bio-Security Center, Royal Scientific Society, Amman, Jordan
| | - Andrew W. Bartlow
- Genomics and Bioanalytics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, United States
| | | | - Ivane Daraselia
- Center of Wildlife Disease Ecology, Ilia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia
| | | | | | - Zura Javakhishvili
- Center of Wildlife Disease Ecology, Ilia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia
| | - Fares Khoury
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, American University of Madaba, Madaba, Jordan
| | - Denys Muzyka
- National Scientific Center, Institute of Experimental and Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Kharkiv, Ukraine
| | | | - Jean Tsao
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
| | - Lela Urushadze
- National Center for Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC) of Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgia
| | - Jennifer Owen
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
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Prosser DJ, Chen J, Ahlstrom CA, Reeves AB, Poulson RL, Sullivan JD, McAuley D, Callahan CR, McGowan PC, Bahl J, Stallknecht DE, Ramey AM. Maintenance and dissemination of avian-origin influenza A virus within the northern Atlantic Flyway of North America. PLoS Pathog 2022; 18:e1010605. [PMID: 35666770 PMCID: PMC9203021 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2022] [Revised: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Wild waterbirds, the natural reservoirs for avian influenza viruses, undergo migratory movements each year, connecting breeding and wintering grounds within broad corridors known as flyways. In a continental or global view, the study of virus movements within and across flyways is important to understanding virus diversity, evolution, and movement. From 2015 to 2017, we sampled waterfowl from breeding (Maine) and wintering (Maryland) areas within the Atlantic Flyway (AF) along the east coast of North America to investigate the spatio-temporal trends in persistence and spread of influenza A viruses (IAV). We isolated 109 IAVs from 1,821 cloacal / oropharyngeal samples targeting mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) and American black ducks (Anas rubripes), two species having ecological and conservation importance in the flyway that are also host reservoirs of IAV. Isolates with >99% nucleotide similarity at all gene segments were found between eight pairs of birds in the northern site across years, indicating some degree of stability among genome constellations and the possibility of environmental persistence. No movement of whole genome constellations were identified between the two parts of the flyway, however, virus gene flow between the northern and southern study locations was evident. Examination of banding records indicate direct migratory waterfowl movements between the two locations within an annual season, providing a mechanism for the inferred viral gene flow. Bayesian phylogenetic analyses provided evidence for virus dissemination from other North American wild birds to AF dabbling ducks (Anatinae), shorebirds (Charidriformes), and poultry (Galliformes). Evidence was found for virus dissemination from shorebirds to gulls (Laridae), and dabbling ducks to shorebirds and poultry. The findings from this study contribute to the understanding of IAV ecology in waterfowl within the AF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diann J. Prosser
- U.S. Geological Survey, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Laurel, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Jiani Chen
- Center for Ecology of Infectious Diseases, Department of Infectious Diseases, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Christina A. Ahlstrom
- U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska, United States of America
| | - Andrew B. Reeves
- U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska, United States of America
- U.S. Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Rebecca L. Poulson
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, Department of Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Jeffery D. Sullivan
- U.S. Geological Survey, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Laurel, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Daniel McAuley
- U.S. Geological Survey, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Laurel, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Carl R. Callahan
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Chesapeake Bay Field Office, Annapolis, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Peter C. McGowan
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Chesapeake Bay Field Office, Annapolis, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Justin Bahl
- Center for Ecology of Infectious Diseases, Department of Infectious Diseases, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
| | - David E. Stallknecht
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, Department of Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Andrew M. Ramey
- U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska, United States of America
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Spaulding F, McLaughlin JF, Glenn TC, Winker K. Estimating Movement Rates Between Eurasian and North American Birds That Are Vectors of Avian Influenza. Avian Dis 2022; 66:155-164. [PMID: 35510470 DOI: 10.1637/aviandiseases-d-21-00088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Avian influenza (AI) is a zoonotic disease that will likely be involved in future pandemics. Because waterbird movements are difficult to quantify, determining the host-specific risk of Eurasian-origin AI movements into North America is challenging. We estimated relative rates of movements, based on long-term evolutionary averages of gene flow, between Eurasian and North American waterbird populations to obtain bidirectional baseline rates of the intercontinental movements of these AI hosts. We used population genomics and coalescent-based demographic models to obtain these gene-flow-based movement estimates. Inferred rates of movement between these continental populations varies greatly among species. Within dabbling ducks, gene flow, relative to effective population size, varies from ∼3 to 24 individuals/generation between Eurasian and American wigeons (Mareca penelope and Mareca americana) to ∼100-300 individuals/generation between continental populations of northern pintails (Anas acuta). These are evolutionary long-term averages and provide a solid foundation for understanding the relative risks of each of these host species in potential intercontinental AI movements. We scale these values to census size for evaluation in that context. In addition to being AI hosts, many of these bird species are also important in the subsistence diets of Alaskans, increasing the risk of direct bird-to-human exposure to Eurasian-origin AI virus. We contrast species-specific rates of intercontinental movements with the importance of each species in Alaskan diets to understand the relative risk of these taxa to humans. Assuming roughly equivalent AI infection rates among ducks, greater scaup (Aythya marila), mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), and northern pintail (Anas acuta) were the top three species presenting the highest risks for intercontinental AI movement both within the natural system and through exposure to subsistence hunters. Improved data on AI infection rates in this region could further refine these relative risk assessments. These directly comparable, species-based intercontinental movement rates and relative risk rankings should help in modeling, monitoring, and mitigating the impacts of intercontinental host and AI movements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fern Spaulding
- University of Alaska Museum, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775, .,Department of Biology and Wildlife, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775
| | - Jessica F McLaughlin
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - Travis C Glenn
- Department of Environmental Health Science and Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602
| | - Kevin Winker
- University of Alaska Museum, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775.,Department of Biology and Wildlife, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775
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Bianchini EA, Bogiatto RJ, Donatello RA, Casazza ML, Ackerman JT, De La Cruz SEW, Cline TD. Host Correlates of Avian Influenza Virus Infection in Wild Waterfowl of the Sacramento Valley, California. Avian Dis 2021; 66:20-28. [DOI: 10.1637/aviandiseases-d-21-00071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Raymond J. Bogiatto
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, Chico, Chico, CA 95929
| | - Robin A. Donatello
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, California State University, Chico, Chico, CA 95929
| | - Michael L. Casazza
- United States Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, Dixon Field Station, Dixon, CA 95620
| | - Joshua T. Ackerman
- United States Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, Dixon Field Station, Dixon, CA 95620
| | - Susan E. W. De La Cruz
- United States Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, San Francisco Bay Estuary Field Station, Vallejo, CA 94592
| | - Troy D. Cline
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, Chico, Chico, CA 95929
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Reassortment and Persistence of Influenza A Viruses from Diverse Geographic Origins within Australian Wild Birds: Evidence from a Small, Isolated Population of Ruddy Turnstones. J Virol 2021; 95:JVI.02193-20. [PMID: 33627387 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.02193-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Australian lineages of avian influenza A viruses (AIVs) are thought to be phylogenetically distinct from those circulating in Eurasia and the Americas, suggesting the circulation of endemic viruses seeded by occasional introductions from other regions. However, processes underlying the introduction, evolution and maintenance of AIVs in Australia remain poorly understood. Waders (order Charadriiformes, family Scolopacidae) may play a unique role in the ecology and evolution of AIVs, particularly in Australia, where ducks, geese, and swans (order Anseriformes, family Anatidae) rarely undertake intercontinental migrations. Across a 5-year surveillance period (2011 to 2015), ruddy turnstones (Arenaria interpres) that "overwinter" during the Austral summer in southeastern Australia showed generally low levels of AIV prevalence (0 to 2%). However, in March 2014, we detected AIVs in 32% (95% confidence interval [CI], 25 to 39%) of individuals in a small, low-density, island population 90 km from the Australian mainland. This epizootic comprised three distinct AIV genotypes, each of which represent a unique reassortment of Australian-, recently introduced Eurasian-, and recently introduced American-lineage gene segments. Strikingly, the Australian-lineage gene segments showed high similarity to those of H10N7 viruses isolated in 2010 and 2012 from poultry outbreaks 900 to 1,500 km to the north. Together with the diverse geographic origins of the American and Eurasian gene segments, these findings suggest extensive circulation and reassortment of AIVs within Australian wild birds over vast geographic distances. Our findings indicate that long-term surveillance in waders may yield unique insights into AIV gene flow, especially in geographic regions like Oceania, where Anatidae species do not display regular inter- or intracontinental migration.IMPORTANCE High prevalence of avian influenza viruses (AIVs) was detected in a small, low-density, isolated population of ruddy turnstones in Australia. Analysis of these viruses revealed relatively recent introductions of viral gene segments from both Eurasia and North America, as well as long-term persistence of introduced gene segments in Australian wild birds. These data demonstrate that the flow of viruses into Australia may be more common than initially thought and that, once introduced, these AIVs have the potential to be maintained within the continent. These findings add to a growing body of evidence suggesting that Australian wild birds are unlikely to be ecologically isolated from the highly pathogenic H5Nx viruses circulating among wild birds throughout the Northern Hemisphere.
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Poulin R, de Angeli Dutra D. Animal migrations and parasitism: reciprocal effects within a unified framework. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 96:1331-1348. [PMID: 33663012 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2020] [Revised: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Migrations, i.e. the recurring, roundtrip movement of animals between distant and distinct habitats, occur among diverse metazoan taxa. Although traditionally linked to avoidance of food shortages, predators or harsh abiotic conditions, there is increasing evidence that parasites may have played a role in the evolution of migration. On the one hand, selective pressures from parasites can favour migratory strategies that allow either avoidance of infections or recovery from them. On the other hand, infected animals incur physiological costs that may limit their migratory abilities, affecting their speed, the timing of their departure or arrival, and/or their condition upon reaching their destination. During migration, reduced immunocompetence as well as exposure to different external conditions and parasite infective stages can influence infection dynamics. Here, we first explore whether parasites represent extra costs for their hosts during migration. We then review how infection dynamics and infection risk are affected by host migration, thereby considering parasites as both causes and consequences of migration. We also evaluate the comparative evidence testing the hypothesis that migratory species harbour a richer parasite fauna than their closest free-living relatives, finding general support for the hypothesis. Then we consider the implications of host migratory behaviour for parasite ecology and evolution, which have received much less attention. Parasites of migratory hosts may achieve much greater spatial dispersal than those of non-migratory hosts, expanding their geographical range, and providing more opportunities for host-switching. Exploiting migratory hosts also exerts pressures on the parasite to adapt its phenology and life-cycle duration, including the timing of major developmental, reproduction and transmission events. Natural selection may even favour parasites that manipulate their host's migratory strategy in ways that can enhance parasite transmission. Finally, we propose a simple integrated framework based on eco-evolutionary feedbacks to consider the reciprocal selection pressures acting on migratory hosts and their parasites. Host migratory strategies and parasite traits evolve in tandem, each acting on the other along two-way causal paths and feedback loops. Their likely adjustments to predicted climate change will be understood best from this coevolutionary perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Poulin
- Department of Zoology, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand
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Nguyen NM, Sung HW, Yun KJ, Park H, Yeo SJ. Genetic Characterization of a Novel North American-Origin Avian Influenza A (H6N5) Virus Isolated from Bean Goose of South Korea in 2018. Viruses 2020; 12:v12070774. [PMID: 32709116 PMCID: PMC7411716 DOI: 10.3390/v12070774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2020] [Revised: 07/13/2020] [Accepted: 07/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The complex overlap in waterfowl migratory pathways across the world has established numerous occurrences of genetic reassortment and intercontinental spread of avian influenza virus (AIV) over long distances, thereby calling for huge efforts and targeted surveillance for infection control. During annual surveillance in South Korea in 2018, a novel avian influenza H6N5 (K6) subtype was isolated from the fecal sample of wild bird. Genomic characterization using a phylogenetic tree indicated the K6 virus to be of North American-origin, with partial homology to an H6N5 strain, A/Aix galericulata/South Korea/K17-1638-5/2017 (K17). A monobasic residue at the HA cleavage site and absence of a notable mutation at the HA receptor-binding site suggested the isolate to be of low pathogenicity. However, molecular analysis revealed the E119V mutation in the NA gene and a human host marker mutation E382D in the polymerase acidic (PA) gene, implying their susceptibility to neuraminidase inhibitors and potential infectivity in humans, respectively. For comparison, K6 and K17 were found to be dissimilar for various mutations, such as A274T of PB2, S375N/T of PB1, or V105M of NP, each concerning the increased virulence of K6 in mammalian system. Moreover, kinetic data presented the highest viral titer of this H6N5 isolate at 106.37 log10TCID50 after 48 h of infection, thus proving efficient adaptability for replication in a mammalian system in vitro. The mouse virus challenge study showed insignificant influence on the total body weight, while viral load shedding in lungs peaked at 1.88 ± 0.21 log10 TICD50/mL, six days post infection. The intercontinental transmission of viruses from North America may continuously be present in Korea, thereby providing constant opportunities for virus reassortment with local resident AIVs; these results hint at the increased potential risk of host jumping capabilities of the new isolates. Our findings reinforce the demand for regular surveillance, not only in Korea but also along the flyways in Alaska.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ngoc Minh Nguyen
- Zoonosis Research Center, Department of Infection Biology, School of Medicine, Wonkwang University, Iksan 570-749, Korea;
| | - Haan Woo Sung
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 200-701, Korea;
| | - Ki-Jung Yun
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Wonkwang University, Iksan 570-749, Korea;
| | - Hyun Park
- Zoonosis Research Center, Department of Infection Biology, School of Medicine, Wonkwang University, Iksan 570-749, Korea;
- Correspondence: (H.P.); (S.-J.Y.)
| | - Seon-Ju Yeo
- Zoonosis Research Center, Department of Infection Biology, School of Medicine, Wonkwang University, Iksan 570-749, Korea;
- Correspondence: (H.P.); (S.-J.Y.)
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9
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Subtype Diversity of Influenza A Virus in North American Waterfowl: a Multidecade Study. J Virol 2020; 94:JVI.02022-19. [PMID: 32188732 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.02022-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2019] [Accepted: 03/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
The discovery in 1976 of waterfowl as the primary reservoir of influenza A viruses (IAVs) has since spurred decades of waterfowl surveillance efforts by researchers dedicated to understanding the ecology of IAV and its subsequent threat to human and animal health. Here, we employed a multidecade, continental-scale approach of surveillance data to understand trends of seasonal IAV subtype diversity. Between 1976 and 2015, IAVs were detected in 8,427 (10.8%) of 77,969 samples from migratory waterfowl throughout the Central and Mississippi Migratory Flyways in the United States and Canada. A total of 96 hemagglutinin (HA)/neuraminidase (NA) subtype combinations were isolated, which included most HA (H1 to H14) and all 9 NA subtypes. We observed an annual trend of high influenza prevalence, involving a few dominant subtypes, on northern breeding grounds during summer with progressively lowered influenza prevalence, comprised of a highly diverse profile of subtypes, as waterfowl migrate toward southern wintering grounds. Isolates recovered during winter had the highest proportion of mixed and rare HA/NA combinations, indicating increased opportunity for reassortment of IAVs. In addition, 70% of H5 and 49% of H7 IAV isolates were recovered from samples collected during fall and spring, respectively; these are subtypes that can have significant implications for public health and agriculture sectors. Annual cyclical dominance of subtypes on northern breeding grounds is revealed through the longitudinal nature of this study. Our novel findings exhibit the unrealized potential for discovery using existing IAV surveillance data.IMPORTANCE Wild aquatic birds are the primary natural reservoir of influenza A viruses (IAVs) and are therefore responsible for the dispersal and maintenance of IAVs representing a broad range of antigenic and genetic diversity. The aims of IAV surveillance in waterfowl not only relate to understanding the risk of spillover risk to humans, but also to improving our understanding of basic questions related to IAV evolution and ecology. By evaluating several decades of surveillance data from wild aquatic birds sampled along North American migratory flyways, we discovered an annual trend of increasing subtype diversity during southbound migration, peaking on southern wintering grounds. Winter sampling revealed the highest proportion of mixed and rare infections that suggest higher opportunity for spillover. These findings allow improvements to surveillance efforts to robustly capture IAV diversity that will be used for vaccine development and cultivate a more thorough understanding of IAV evolution and persistence mechanisms.
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Yeo SJ, Than DD, Park HS, Sung HW, Park H. Molecular Characterization of a Novel Avian Influenza A (H2N9) Strain Isolated from Wild Duck in Korea in 2018. Viruses 2019; 11:v11111046. [PMID: 31717636 PMCID: PMC6893532 DOI: 10.3390/v11111046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2019] [Revised: 11/02/2019] [Accepted: 11/06/2019] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
A novel avian influenza virus (A/wild duck/Korea/K102/2018) (H2N9) was isolated from wild birds in South Korea in 2018, and phylogenetic and molecular analyses were conducted on complete gene sequences obtained by next-generation sequencing. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) genes of the A/wild duck/Korea/K102/2018 (H2N9) virus belonged to the Eurasian countries, whereas other internal genes (polymerase basic protein 1 (PB1), PB2, nucleoprotein (NP), polymerase acidic protein (PA), matrix protein (M), and non-structural protein (NS)) belonged to the East Asian countries. A monobasic amino acid (PQIEPR/GLF) at the HA cleavage site, E627 in the PB2 gene, and no deletion of the stalk region in the NA gene indicated that the A/wild duck/Korea/K102/2018 (H2N9) isolate was a typical low pathogenicity avian influenza (LPAI). Nucleotide sequence similarity analysis of HA revealed that the highest homology (98.34%) is to that of A/duck/Mongolia/482/2015 (H2N3), and amino acid sequence of NA was closely related to that of A/duck/Bangladesh/8987/2010 (H10N9) (96.45%). In contrast, internal genes showed homology higher than 98% compared to those of other isolates derived from duck and wild birds of China or Japan in 2016–2018. The newly isolated A/wild duck/Korea/K102/2018 (H2N9) strain is the first reported avian influenza virus in Korea, and may have evolved from multiple genotypes in wild birds and ducks in Mongolia, China, and Japan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seon-Ju Yeo
- Zoonosis Research Center, Department of Infection Biology, School of Medicine, Wonkwang University, Iksan 54538, Korea; (S.-J.Y.); (D.-D.T.)
| | - Duc-Duong Than
- Zoonosis Research Center, Department of Infection Biology, School of Medicine, Wonkwang University, Iksan 54538, Korea; (S.-J.Y.); (D.-D.T.)
| | - Hong-Seog Park
- GnCBio Inc, 4F, Yegan Plaza, 36, Banseok-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34069, Korea;
| | - Haan Woo Sung
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 24341, Korea
- Correspondence: (H.W.S.); (H.P.)
| | - Hyun Park
- Zoonosis Research Center, Department of Infection Biology, School of Medicine, Wonkwang University, Iksan 54538, Korea; (S.-J.Y.); (D.-D.T.)
- Correspondence: (H.W.S.); (H.P.)
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11
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Morin CW, Stoner-Duncan B, Winker K, Scotch M, Hess JJ, Meschke JS, Ebi KL, Rabinowitz PM. Avian influenza virus ecology and evolution through a climatic lens. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2018; 119:241-249. [PMID: 29980049 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2018.06.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2018] [Revised: 05/17/2018] [Accepted: 06/14/2018] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Avian influenza virus (AIV) is a major health threat to both avian and human populations. The ecology of the virus is driven by numerous factors, including climate and avian migration patterns, yet relatively little is known about these drivers. Long-distance transport of the virus is tied to inter- and intra-continental bird migration, while enhanced viral reassortment is linked to breeding habitats in Beringia shared by migrant species from North America and Asia. Furthermore, water temperature, pH, salinity, and co-existing biota all impact the viability and persistence of the virus in the environment. Changes in climate can potentially alter the ecology of AIV through multiple pathways. Warming temperatures can change the timing and patterns of bird migration, creating novel assemblages of species and new opportunities for viral transport and reassortment. Water temperature and chemistry may also be altered, resulting in changes in virus survival. In this review, we explain how these shifts have the potential to increase viral persistence, pathogenicity, and transmissibility and amplify the threat of pandemic disease in animal and human hosts. Better understanding of climatic influences on viral ecology is essential to developing strategies to limit adverse health effects in humans and animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cory W Morin
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.
| | | | - Kevin Winker
- Department of Biology & Wildlife and University of Alaska Museum, Fairbanks, AK, United States
| | - Matthew Scotch
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Arizona State University, Scottsdale, AZ, United States; Center for Environmental Health Engineering, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States
| | - Jeremy J Hess
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States; Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States; Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - John S Meschke
- Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Kristie L Ebi
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States; Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Peter M Rabinowitz
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States; Center for Environmental Health Engineering, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States
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Kwon JH, Lee DH, Swayne DE, Noh JY, Yuk SS, Jeong S, Lee SH, Woo C, Shin JH, Song CS. Experimental infection of H5N1 and H5N8 highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses in Northern Pintail (Anas acuta). Transbound Emerg Dis 2018; 65:1367-1371. [PMID: 29726612 DOI: 10.1111/tbed.12872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2017] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
The wide geographic spread of Eurasian Goose/Guangdong lineage highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) clade 2.3.4.4 viruses by wild birds is of great concern. In December 2014, an H5N8 HPAI clade 2.3.4.4 Group A (2.3.4.4A) virus was introduced to North America. Long-distance migratory wild aquatic birds between East Asia and North America, such as Northern Pintail (Anas acuta), were strongly suspected of being a source of intercontinental transmission. In this study, we evaluated the pathogenicity, infectivity and transmissibility of an H5N8 HPAI clade 2.3.4.4A virus in Northern Pintails and compared the results to that of an H5N1 HPAI clade 2.3.2.1 virus. All of Northern Pintails infected with either H5N1 or H5N8 virus lacked clinical signs and mortality, but the H5N8 clade 2.3.4.4 virus was more efficient at replicating within and transmitting between Northern Pintails than the H5N1 clade 2.3.2.1 virus. The H5N8-infected birds shed high titre of viruses from oropharynx and cloaca, which in the field supported virus transmission and spread. This study highlights the role of wild waterfowl in the intercontinental spread of some HPAI viruses. Migratory aquatic birds should be carefully monitored for the early detection of H5 clade 2.3.4.4 and other HPAI viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- J-H Kwon
- Avian Diseases Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea
| | - D-H Lee
- Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory, U.S. National Poultry Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Athens, GA, USA
| | - D E Swayne
- Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory, U.S. National Poultry Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Athens, GA, USA
| | - J-Y Noh
- Avian Diseases Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea
| | - S-S Yuk
- Avian Diseases Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea
| | - S Jeong
- Avian Diseases Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea
| | - S-H Lee
- Avian Diseases Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea
| | - C Woo
- Environmental Health Research Department, National Institute of Environmental Research, Incheon, Korea
| | - J-H Shin
- Environmental Health Research Department, National Institute of Environmental Research, Incheon, Korea
| | - C-S Song
- Avian Diseases Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea
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13
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Reeves AB, Hall JS, Poulson RL, Donnelly T, Stallknecht DE, Ramey AM. Influenza A virus recovery, diversity, and intercontinental exchange: A multi-year assessment of wild bird sampling at Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0195327. [PMID: 29621333 PMCID: PMC5950690 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0195327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2018] [Accepted: 03/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Western Alaska is a potential point-of-entry for foreign-origin influenza A viruses (IAVs) into North America via migratory birds. We sampled waterfowl and gulls for IAVs at Izembek National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in western Alaska, USA, during late summer and autumn months of 2011-2015, to evaluate the abundance and diversity of viruses at this site. We collected 4842 samples across five years from 25 species of wild birds resulting in the recovery, isolation, and sequencing of 172 IAVs. With the intent of optimizing sampling efficiencies, we used information derived from this multi-year effort to: 1) evaluate from which species we consistently recover viruses, 2) describe viral subtypes of isolates by host species and year, 3) characterize viral gene segment sequence diversity with respect to host species, and assess potential differences in the viral lineages among the host groups, and 4) examine how evidence of intercontinental exchange of IAVs relates to host species. We consistently recovered viruses from dabbling ducks (Anas spp.), emperor geese (Chen canagica) and glaucous-winged gulls (Larus glaucescens). There was little evidence for differences in viral subtypes and diversity from different waterfowl hosts, however subtypes and viral diversity varied between waterfowl host groups and glaucous-winged gulls. Furthermore, higher proportions of viral sequences from northern pintails (Anas acuta), emperor geese and glaucous-winged gulls were grouped in phylogenetic clades that included IAV sequences originating from wild birds sampled in Asia as compared to non-pintail dabbling ducks, a difference that may be related to intercontinental migratory tendencies of host species. Our summary of research and surveillance efforts at Izembek NWR will assist in future prioritization of which hosts to sample and swab types to collect in Alaska and elsewhere in order to maximize isolate recovery, subtype and sequence diversity for resultant viruses, and detection of evidence for intercontinental viral exchange.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew B. Reeves
- United States Geological Survey Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska, United States of America
- * E-mail: (ABR); (AMR)
| | - Jeffrey S. Hall
- United States Geological Survey National Wildlife Health Center, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Rebecca L. Poulson
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, Department of Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Tyrone Donnelly
- United States Geological Survey Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska, United States of America
| | - David E. Stallknecht
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, Department of Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Andrew M. Ramey
- United States Geological Survey Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska, United States of America
- * E-mail: (ABR); (AMR)
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14
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Ramey AM, DeLiberto TJ, Berhane Y, Swayne DE, Stallknecht DE. Lessons learned from research and surveillance directed at highly pathogenic influenza A viruses in wild birds inhabiting North America. Virology 2018; 518:55-63. [PMID: 29453059 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2018.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2017] [Revised: 01/29/2018] [Accepted: 02/02/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Following detections of highly pathogenic (HP) influenza A viruses (IAVs) in wild birds inhabiting East Asia after the turn of the millennium, the intensity of sampling of wild birds for IAVs increased throughout much of North America. The objectives for many research and surveillance efforts were directed towards detecting Eurasian origin HP IAVs and understanding the potential of such viruses to be maintained and dispersed by wild birds. In this review, we highlight five important lessons learned from research and surveillance directed at HP IAVs in wild birds inhabiting North America: (1) Wild birds may disperse IAVs between North America and adjacent regions via migration, (2) HP IAVs can be introduced to wild birds in North America, (3) HP IAVs may cross the wild bird-poultry interface in North America, (4) The probability of encountering and detecting a specific virus may be low, and (5) Population immunity of wild birds may influence HP IAV outbreaks in North America. We review empirical support derived from research and surveillance efforts for each lesson learned and, furthermore, identify implications for future surveillance efforts, biosecurity, and population health. We conclude our review by identifying five additional areas in which we think future mechanistic research relative to IAVs in wild birds in North America are likely to lead to other important lessons learned in the years ahead.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew M Ramey
- US Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, 4210 University Drive, Anchorage, AK 99508, USA.
| | - Thomas J DeLiberto
- National Wildlife Disease Program, Wildlife Services, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, US Department of Agriculture, Fort Collins, CO 80521, USA
| | - Yohannes Berhane
- Canadian Food Inspection Agency, National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3E 3M4; Department of Animal Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
| | - David E Swayne
- Exotic and Emerging Avian Viral Diseases Research Unit, Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory, U.S. National Poultry Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Athens, GA, USA
| | - David E Stallknecht
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, Department of Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
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15
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Abstract
Waterbirds are the main reservoir for low pathogenic avian influenza A viruses (LPAIV), from which occasional spillover to poultry occurs. When circulating among poultry, LPAIV may become highly pathogenic avian influenza A viruses (HPAIV). In recent years, the epidemiology of HPAIV viruses has changed drastically. HPAIV H5N1 are currently endemic among poultry in a number of countries. In addition, global spread of HPAIV H5Nx viruses has resulted in major outbreaks among wild birds and poultry worldwide. Using data collected during these outbreaks, the role of migratory birds as a vector became increasingly clear. Here we provide an overview of current data about various aspects of the changing role of wild birds in the epidemiology of avian influenza A viruses.
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Surveillance for highly pathogenic influenza A viruses in California during 2014-2015 provides insights into viral evolutionary pathways and the spatiotemporal extent of viruses in the Pacific Americas Flyway. Emerg Microbes Infect 2017; 6:e80. [PMID: 28874792 PMCID: PMC5625317 DOI: 10.1038/emi.2017.66] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2017] [Revised: 06/22/2017] [Accepted: 06/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
We used surveillance data collected in California before, concurrent with, and subsequent to an outbreak of highly pathogenic (HP) clade 2.3.4.4 influenza A viruses (IAVs) in 2014–2015 to (i) evaluate IAV prevalence in waterfowl, (ii) assess the evidence for spill-over infections in marine mammals and (iii) genetically characterize low-pathogenic (LP) and HP IAVs to refine inference on the spatiotemporal extent of HP genome constellations and to evaluate possible evolutionary pathways. We screened samples from 1496 waterfowl and 1142 marine mammals collected from April 2014 to August 2015 and detected IAV RNA in 159 samples collected from birds (n=157) and pinnipeds (n=2). HP IAV RNA was identified in three samples originating from American wigeon (Anas americana). Genetic sequence data were generated for a clade 2.3.4.4 HP IAV-positive diagnostic sample and 57 LP IAV isolates. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that the HP IAV was a reassortant H5N8 virus with gene segments closely related to LP IAVs detected in mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) sampled in California and other IAVs detected in wild birds sampled within the Pacific Americas Flyway. In addition, our analysis provided support for common ancestry between LP IAVs recovered from waterfowl sampled in California and gene segments of reassortant HP H5N1 IAVs detected in British Columbia, Canada and Washington, USA. Our investigation provides evidence that waterfowl are likely to have played a role in the evolution of reassortant HP IAVs in the Pacific Americas Flyway during 2014–2015, whereas we did not find support for spill-over infections in potential pinniped hosts.
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17
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Gonzalez-Reiche AS, Nelson MI, Angel M, Müller ML, Ortiz L, Dutta J, van Bakel H, Cordon-Rosales C, Perez DR. Evidence of Intercontinental Spread and Uncommon Variants of Low-Pathogenicity Avian Influenza Viruses in Ducks Overwintering in Guatemala. mSphere 2017; 2:e00362-16. [PMID: 28405632 PMCID: PMC5381266 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00362-16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2016] [Accepted: 03/15/2017] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Over a hundred species of aquatic birds overwinter in Central America's wetlands, providing opportunities for the transmission of influenza A viruses (IAVs). To date, limited IAV surveillance in Central America hinders our understanding of the evolution and ecology of IAVs in migratory hosts within the Western Hemisphere. To address this gap, we sequenced the genomes of 68 virus isolates obtained from ducks overwintering along Guatemala's Pacific Coast during 2010 to 2013. High genetic diversity was observed, including 9 hemagglutinin (HA) subtypes, 7 neuraminidase (NA) subtypes, and multiple avian IAV lineages that have been detected at low levels (<1%) in North America. An unusually large number of viruses with the rare H14 subtype were identified (n = 14) over two consecutive seasons, the highest number of H14 viruses ever reported in a single location, providing evidence for a possible H14 source population located outside routinely sampled regions of North America. Viruses from Guatemala were positioned within minor clades divergent from the main North American lineage on phylogenies inferred for the H3, H4, N2, N8, PA, NP, and NS segments. A time-scaled phylogeny indicates that a Eurasian virus PA segment introduced into the Americas in the early 2000s disseminated to Guatemala during ~2007.1 to 2010.4 (95% highest posterior density [HPD]). Overall, the diversity detected in Guatemala in overwintering ducks highlights the potential role of Central America in the evolution of diverse IAV lineages in the Americas, including divergent variants rarely detected in the United States, and the importance of increasing IAV surveillance throughout Central America. IMPORTANCE Recent outbreaks of highly pathogenic H7N3, H5Nx, and H7N8 avian influenza viruses in North America were introduced by migratory birds, underscoring the importance of understanding how wild birds contribute to the dissemination and evolution of IAVs in nature. At least four of the main IAV duck host species in North America migrate through or overwinter within a narrow strip of Central America, providing opportunities for diverse IAV lineages to mix and exchange gene segments. By obtaining whole-genome sequences of 68 IAV isolates collected from migratory waterfowl in Guatemala (2010 to 2013), the largest data set available from Central America to date, we detected extensive viral diversity, including gene variants rarely found in North America and gene segments of Eurasian origin. Our findings highlight the need for increased IAV surveillance across the geographical span of bird migration flyways, including Neotropical regions that have been vastly undersampled to date.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana S. Gonzalez-Reiche
- Centro de Estudios en Salud, Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, Guatemala City, Guatemala
- Department of Population Health, Poultry Diagnostic and Research Center, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Martha I. Nelson
- Fogarty International Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Mathew Angel
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maryland—College Park, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Maria L. Müller
- Centro de Estudios en Salud, Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, Guatemala City, Guatemala
- Department of Population Health, Poultry Diagnostic and Research Center, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Lucia Ortiz
- Centro de Estudios en Salud, Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, Guatemala City, Guatemala
| | - Jayeeta Dutta
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Harm van Bakel
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Celia Cordon-Rosales
- Centro de Estudios en Salud, Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, Guatemala City, Guatemala
| | - Daniel R. Perez
- Department of Population Health, Poultry Diagnostic and Research Center, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maryland—College Park, College Park, Maryland, USA
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18
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Hill NJ, Runstadler JA. A Bird's Eye View of Influenza A Virus Transmission: Challenges with Characterizing Both Sides of a Co-Evolutionary Dynamic. Integr Comp Biol 2016; 56:304-16. [PMID: 27252222 PMCID: PMC5964799 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icw055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
In nature, wild birds and influenza A viruses (IAV) are continually co-evolving, locked into a back-and-forth of resistance and conquest that has approached a stable equilibrium over time. This co-evolutionary relationship between bird host and IAV may appear stable at the organismal level, but is highly dynamic at the molecular level manifesting in a constant trade-off between transmissibility and virulence of the virus. Characterizing both sides of the host-virus dynamic has presented a challenge for ecologists and virologists alike, despite the potential for this approach to provide insights into which conditions destabilize the equilibrium state resulting in outbreaks or mortality of hosts in extreme cases. The use of different methods that are either host-centric or virus-centric has made it difficult to reconcile the disparate fields of host ecology and virology for investigating and ultimately predicting wild bird-mediated transmission of IAV. This review distills some of the key lessons learned from virological and ecological studies and explores the promises and pitfalls of both approaches. Ultimately, reconciling ecological and virological approaches hinges on integrating scales for measuring host-virus interactions. We argue that prospects for finding common scales for measuring wild bird-influenza dynamics are improving due to advances in genomic sequencing, host-tracking technology and remote sensing data, with the unit of time (months, year, or seasons) providing a starting point for crossover.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nichola J Hill
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Division of Comparative Medicine & Department of Biological Engineering, 77 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge 02139
| | - Jonathan A Runstadler
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Division of Comparative Medicine & Department of Biological Engineering, 77 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge 02139
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19
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Hill NJ, Ma EJ, Meixell BW, Lindberg MS, Boyce WM, Runstadler JA. Transmission of influenza reflects seasonality of wild birds across the annual cycle. Ecol Lett 2016; 19:915-25. [PMID: 27324078 DOI: 10.1111/ele.12629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2016] [Accepted: 05/04/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Influenza A Viruses (IAV) in nature must overcome shifting transmission barriers caused by the mobility of their primary host, migratory wild birds, that change throughout the annual cycle. Using a phylogenetic network of viral sequences from North American wild birds (2008-2011) we demonstrate a shift from intraspecific to interspecific transmission that along with reassortment, allows IAV to achieve viral flow across successive seasons from summer to winter. Our study supports amplification of IAV during summer breeding seeded by overwintering virus persisting locally and virus introduced from a wide range of latitudes. As birds migrate from breeding sites to lower latitudes, they become involved in transmission networks with greater connectivity to other bird species, with interspecies transmission of reassortant viruses peaking during the winter. We propose that switching transmission dynamics may be a critical strategy for pathogens that infect mobile hosts inhabiting regions with strong seasonality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nichola J Hill
- Department of Biological Engineering and Division of Comparative Medicine, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Eric J Ma
- Department of Biological Engineering and Division of Comparative Medicine, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Brandt W Meixell
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA.,U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, AK, 99508, USA
| | - Mark S Lindberg
- Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA
| | - Walter M Boyce
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Jonathan A Runstadler
- Department of Biological Engineering and Division of Comparative Medicine, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
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20
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Ramey AM, Reeves AB, TeSlaa JL, Nashold S, Donnelly T, Bahl J, Hall JS. Evidence for common ancestry among viruses isolated from wild birds in Beringia and highly pathogenic intercontinental reassortant H5N1 and H5N2 influenza A viruses. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2016; 40:176-185. [DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2016.02.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2015] [Revised: 02/22/2016] [Accepted: 02/26/2016] [Indexed: 12/09/2022]
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21
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Ramey AM, Walther P, Link P, Poulson RL, Wilcox BR, Newsome G, Spackman E, Brown JD, Stallknecht DE. Optimizing Surveillance for South American Origin Influenza A Viruses Along the United States Gulf Coast Through Genomic Characterization of Isolates from Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors). Transbound Emerg Dis 2016; 63:194-202. [PMID: 25056712 PMCID: PMC4305350 DOI: 10.1111/tbed.12244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2014] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Relative to research focused on inter-continental viral exchange between Eurasia and North America, less attention has been directed towards understanding the redistribution of influenza A viruses (IAVs) by wild birds between North America and South America. In this study, we genomically characterized 45 viruses isolated from blue-winged teal (Anas discors) along the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast during March of 2012 and 2013, coincident with northward migration of this species from Neotropical wintering areas to breeding grounds in the United States and Canada. No evidence of South American lineage genes was detected in IAVs isolated from blue-winged teal supporting restricted viral gene flow between the United States and southern South America. However, it is plausible that blue-winged teal redistribute IAVs between North American breeding grounds and wintering areas throughout the Neotropics, including northern South America, and that viral gene flow is limited by geographical barriers further south (e.g., the Amazon Basin). Surveillance for the introduction of IAVs from Central America and northern South America into the United States may be further optimized through genomic characterization of viruses resulting from coordinated, concurrent sampling efforts targeting blue-winged teal and sympatric species throughout the Neotropics and along the United States Gulf Coast.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew M. Ramey
- US Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, 4210 University Drive, Anchorage, Alaska 99508, USA
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Population Health, The University of Georgia, 589 D. W. Brooks Drive, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA
| | - Patrick Walther
- US Fish and Wildlife Service, Texas Chenier Plain Refuge Complex, P.O. Box 278 4017 FM 563, Anahuac, Texas 77514, USA
| | - Paul Link
- Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, 2000 Quail Drive, Room 436, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70808, USA
| | - Rebecca L. Poulson
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Population Health, The University of Georgia, 589 D. W. Brooks Drive, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA
| | - Benjamin R. Wilcox
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Population Health, The University of Georgia, 589 D. W. Brooks Drive, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA
| | - George Newsome
- City of Beaumont Wastewater Treatment Plant, 4900 Lafin Road, Beaumont, Texas 77705, USA
| | - Erica Spackman
- US Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service, Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory, 934 College Station Road, Athens, GA 30605, USA
| | - Justin D. Brown
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Population Health, The University of Georgia, 589 D. W. Brooks Drive, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA
| | - David E. Stallknecht
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Population Health, The University of Georgia, 589 D. W. Brooks Drive, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA
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22
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Arnal A, Vittecoq M, Pearce-Duvet J, Gauthier-Clerc M, Boulinier T, Jourdain E. Laridae: A neglected reservoir that could play a major role in avian influenza virus epidemiological dynamics. Crit Rev Microbiol 2015; 41:508-19. [DOI: 10.3109/1040841x.2013.870967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
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23
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Wild bird surveillance for highly pathogenic avian influenza H5 in North America. Virol J 2015; 12:151. [PMID: 26411256 PMCID: PMC4584468 DOI: 10.1186/s12985-015-0377-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2015] [Accepted: 09/07/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
It is unknown how the current Asian origin highly pathogenic avian influenza H5 viruses arrived, but these viruses are now poised to become endemic in North America. Wild birds harbor these viruses and have dispersed them at regional scales. What is unclear is how the viruses may be moving from the wild bird reservoir into poultry holdings. Active surveillance of live wild birds is likely the best way to determine the true distribution of these viruses. We also suggest that sampling be focused on regions with the greatest risk for poultry losses and attempt to define the mechanisms of transfer to enhance biosecurity. Responding to the recent outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza in North America requires an efficient plan with clear objectives and potential management outcomes.
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Thammakarn C, Tsujimura M, Satoh K, Hasegawa T, Tamura M, Kawamura A, Ishida Y, Suguro A, Hakim H, Ruenphet S, Takehara K. Efficacy of scallop shell powders and slaked lime for inactivating avian influenza virus under harsh conditions. Arch Virol 2015; 160:2577-81. [PMID: 26168709 DOI: 10.1007/s00705-015-2517-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2015] [Accepted: 06/29/2015] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The efficacy and stability of scallop shell powder (SSP) were investigated, in terms of its capacity to inactivate avian influenza virus (AIV), and compared with slaked lime (SL). An environmental simulation was conducted by emulating sunlight and wet-dry conditions. The powders were collected at consecutive 2-week intervals under sunlight and upon every resuspension. These materials were tested by mixing them with AIV and incubating the mixture for 3 min or 20 h, followed by AIV titration. At the same time, a pH buffering test was conducted by neutralization with Tris-HCl. The results revealed that SSP and SL have high alkalinity and excellent ability to inactivate AIV. In a simulated harsh environment, SSP and SL retained a satisfactory ability to inactivate AIV within 20 h throughout the experimental procedure. However, SSP was able to inactivate AIV during a short contact period (3 min), even under harsh conditions, and it was more resistant than SL to neutralization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chanathip Thammakarn
- Laboratory of Animal Health, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo, 183-8509, Japan.,The United Graduate School of Veterinary Science, Gifu University, Gifu, 501-1193, Japan
| | - Misato Tsujimura
- Laboratory of Animal Health, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo, 183-8509, Japan
| | - Keisuke Satoh
- Laboratory of Animal Health, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo, 183-8509, Japan
| | - Tomomi Hasegawa
- Laboratory of Animal Health, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo, 183-8509, Japan
| | - Miho Tamura
- Laboratory of Animal Health, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo, 183-8509, Japan
| | - Akinobu Kawamura
- Laboratory of Animal Health, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo, 183-8509, Japan
| | - Yuki Ishida
- Laboratory of Animal Health, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo, 183-8509, Japan
| | - Atsushi Suguro
- Laboratory of Animal Health, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo, 183-8509, Japan
| | - Hakimullah Hakim
- Laboratory of Animal Health, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo, 183-8509, Japan.,The United Graduate School of Veterinary Science, Gifu University, Gifu, 501-1193, Japan
| | - Sakchai Ruenphet
- Virology and Immunology Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mahanakorn University of Technology, Bangkok, 10530, Thailand
| | - Kazuaki Takehara
- Laboratory of Animal Health, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo, 183-8509, Japan. .,The United Graduate School of Veterinary Science, Gifu University, Gifu, 501-1193, Japan.
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Fries AC, Nolting JM, Bowman AS, Lin X, Halpin RA, Wester E, Fedorova N, Stockwell TB, Das SR, Dugan VG, Wentworth DE, Gibbs HL, Slemons RD. Spread and persistence of influenza A viruses in waterfowl hosts in the North American Mississippi migratory flyway. J Virol 2015; 89:5371-81. [PMID: 25741003 PMCID: PMC4442537 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.03249-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2014] [Accepted: 02/23/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED While geographic distance often restricts the spread of pathogens via hosts, this barrier may be compromised when host species are mobile. Migratory waterfowl in the order Anseriformes are important reservoir hosts for diverse populations of avian-origin influenza A viruses (AIVs) and are assumed to spread AIVs during their annual continental-scale migrations. However, support for this hypothesis is limited, and it is rarely tested using data from comprehensive surveillance efforts incorporating both the temporal and spatial aspects of host migratory patterns. We conducted intensive AIV surveillance of waterfowl using the North American Mississippi Migratory Flyway (MMF) over three autumn migratory seasons. Viral isolates (n = 297) from multiple host species were sequenced and analyzed for patterns of gene dispersal between northern staging and southern wintering locations. Using a phylogenetic and nucleotide identity framework, we observed a larger amount of gene dispersal within this flyway rather than between the other three longitudinally identified North American flyways. Across seasons, we observed patterns of regional persistence of diversity for each genomic segment, along with limited survival of dispersed AIV gene lineages. Reassortment increased with both time and distance, resulting in transient AIV constellations. This study shows that within the MMF, AIV gene flow favors spread along the migratory corridor within a season, and also that intensive surveillance during bird migration is important for identifying virus dispersal on time scales relevant to pandemic responsiveness. In addition, this study indicates that comprehensive monitoring programs to capture AIV diversity are critical for providing insight into AIV evolution and ecology in a major natural reservoir. IMPORTANCE Migratory birds are a reservoir for antigenic and genetic diversity of influenza A viruses (AIVs) and are implicated in the spread of virus diversity that has contributed to previous pandemic events. Evidence for dispersal of avian-origin AIVs by migratory birds is rarely examined on temporal scales relevant to pandemic or panzootic threats. Therefore, characterizing AIV movement by hosts within a migratory season is important for implementing effective surveillance strategies. We conducted surveillance following birds along a major North American migratory route and observed that within a migratory season, AIVs rapidly reassorted and gene lineages were dispersed primarily within the migratory corridor. Patterns of regional persistence were observed across seasons for each gene segment. We show that dispersal of AIV gene lineages by migratory birds occurs quickly along migratory routes and that surveillance for AIVs threatening human and animal health should focus attention on these routes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony C Fries
- Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Jacqueline M Nolting
- Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Andrew S Bowman
- Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Xudong Lin
- J. Craig Venter Institute, Virology, Rockville, Maryland, USA
| | | | - Eric Wester
- J. Craig Venter Institute, Virology, Rockville, Maryland, USA
| | - Nadia Fedorova
- J. Craig Venter Institute, Virology, Rockville, Maryland, USA
| | | | - Suman R Das
- J. Craig Venter Institute, Virology, Rockville, Maryland, USA
| | - Vivien G Dugan
- J. Craig Venter Institute, Virology, Rockville, Maryland, USA
| | | | - H Lisle Gibbs
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA Ohio Biodiversity Conservation Partnership, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Richard D Slemons
- Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
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Ramey AM, Reeves AB, Sonsthagen SA, TeSlaa JL, Nashold S, Donnelly T, Casler B, Hall JS. Dispersal of H9N2 influenza A viruses between East Asia and North America by wild birds. Virology 2015; 482:79-83. [PMID: 25827532 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2015.03.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2015] [Revised: 03/09/2015] [Accepted: 03/10/2015] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Samples were collected from wild birds in western Alaska to assess dispersal of influenza A viruses between East Asia and North America. Two isolates shared nearly identical nucleotide identity at eight genomic segments with H9N2 viruses isolated from China and South Korea providing evidence for intercontinental dispersal by migratory birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew M Ramey
- US Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, 4210 University Drive, Anchorage, AK, USA.
| | - Andrew B Reeves
- US Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, 4210 University Drive, Anchorage, AK, USA
| | - Sarah A Sonsthagen
- US Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, 4210 University Drive, Anchorage, AK, USA
| | - Joshua L TeSlaa
- US Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center, 6006 Schroeder Road, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Sean Nashold
- US Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center, 6006 Schroeder Road, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Tyrone Donnelly
- US Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, 4210 University Drive, Anchorage, AK, USA
| | - Bruce Casler
- US Fish and Wildlife Service, Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, P. O. Box 127, Cold Bay, AK, USA
| | - Jeffrey S Hall
- US Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center, 6006 Schroeder Road, Madison, WI, USA
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Shoham D. The Eurasian genes of the 2009 pandemic influenza virus: an integrative perspective on their conveyance to and assimilation in America. Crit Rev Microbiol 2014; 42:222-32. [PMID: 25058514 DOI: 10.3109/1040841x.2014.920291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
The formation of pandemic influenza genotypes varied phylogeographically and ecophylogenetically throughout their fully recognized recent 100-years natural history, involving consistently avian plus human genes, and at times swine genes. The last four traceable pandemic strains (PSs) included two American H1N1 viruses with genomes predominantly containing swine genes, of which at least one genome originated from both America and Eurasia; and two non-H1N1 Asian viruses with genomes entirely originating from Asia, and having no swine genes. This study explores whether there is a particular interhemispheric system underlying such divergence, and its properties. Unlike the assumption that transport of live pigs from Eurasia to America facilitated the formation of the 2009 H1N1 PS in America, it is suggested that conveyance of Eurasian swine genes to America, and their assimilation therein, took place through a distinct, perfectly natural ecophylogenetic machinery. The latter conjunctively involves, foremost, a native Asian duck-swine-man interface, a Holarctic chain of certain migratory Anas ducks, a native American turkey-swine-man interface, and two specific clades of American influenza A viruses. Likewise, the described machinery could have readily given rise to the 1918 H1N1, and, presumably, earlier American PSs, altogether constituting private cases of a much broader, self-sustained, permanent phylogeographic system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dany Shoham
- a Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, Bar-Ilan University , Ramat-Gan , Israel
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28
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Ramey AM, Poulson RL, González-Reiche AS, Perez DR, Stallknecht DE, Brown JD. Genomic characterization of H14 subtype Influenza A viruses in new world waterfowl and experimental infectivity in mallards (Anas platyrhynchos). PLoS One 2014; 9:e95620. [PMID: 24788792 PMCID: PMC4006863 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0095620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2014] [Accepted: 03/28/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent repeated isolation of H14 hemagglutinin subtype influenza A viruses (IAVs) in the New World waterfowl provides evidence to suggest that host and/or geographic ranges for viruses of this subtype may be expanding. In this study, we used genomic analyses to gain inference on the origin and evolution of H14 viruses in New World waterfowl and conducted an experimental challenge study in mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) to evaluate pathogenicity, viral replication, and transmissibility of a representative viral strain in a natural host species. Genomic characterization of H14 subtype IAVs isolated from New World waterfowl, including three isolates sequenced specifically for this study, revealed high nucleotide identity among individual gene segments (e.g. ≥95% shared identity among H14 HA gene segments). In contrast, lower shared identity was observed among internal gene segments. Furthermore, multiple neuraminidase subtypes were observed for H14 IAVs isolated in the New World. Gene segments of H14 viruses isolated after 2010 shared ancestral genetic lineages with IAVs isolated from wild birds throughout North America. Thus, genomic characterization provided evidence for viral evolution in New World waterfowl through genetic drift and genetic shift since purported introduction from Eurasia. In the challenge study, no clinical disease or lesions were observed among mallards experimentally inoculated with A/blue-winged teal/Texas/AI13-1028/2013(H14N5) or exposed via contact with infected birds. Titers of viral shedding for mallards challenged with the H14N5 IAV were highest at two days post-inoculation (DPI); however shedding was detected up to nine DPI using cloacal swabs. The distribution of viral antigen among mallards infected with H14N5 IAV was largely restricted to enterocytes lining the villi in the lower intestinal tract and in the epithelium of the bursa of Fabricius. Characterization of the infectivity of A/blue-winged teal/Texas/AI13-1028/2013(H14N5) in mallards provides support for similarities in viral replication and shedding as compared to previously described waterfowl-adapted, low pathogenic IAV strains in ducks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew M. Ramey
- US Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska, United States of America
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Population Health, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Rebecca L. Poulson
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Population Health, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Ana S. González-Reiche
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maryland College Park, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
- Centro de Estudios en Salud, Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, Guatemala City, Guatemala
| | - Daniel R. Perez
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maryland College Park, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
| | - David E. Stallknecht
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Population Health, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Justin D. Brown
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Population Health, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
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Savory FR, Varma V, Ramakrishnan U. Identifying geographic hot spots of reassortment in a multipartite plant virus. Evol Appl 2014; 7:569-79. [PMID: 24944570 PMCID: PMC4055178 DOI: 10.1111/eva.12156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2013] [Accepted: 03/05/2014] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Reassortment between different species or strains plays a key role in the evolution of multipartite plant viruses and can have important epidemiological implications. Identifying geographic locations where reassortant lineages are most likely to emerge could be a valuable strategy for informing disease management and surveillance efforts. We developed a predictive framework to identify potential geographic hot spots of reassortment based upon spatially explicit analyses of genome constellation diversity. To demonstrate the utility of this approach, we examined spatial variation in the potential for reassortment among Cardamom bushy dwarf virus (CBDV; Nanoviridae, Babuvirus) isolates in Northeast India. Using sequence data corresponding to six discrete genome components for 163 CBDV isolates, a quantitative measure of genome constellation diversity was obtained for locations across the sampling region. Two key areas were identified where viruses with highly distinct genome constellations cocirculate, and these locations were designated as possible geographic hot spots of reassortment, where novel reassortant lineages could emerge. Our study demonstrates that the potential for reassortment can be spatially dependent in multipartite plant viruses and highlights the use of evolutionary analyses to identify locations which could be actively managed to facilitate the prevention of outbreaks involving novel reassortant strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fiona R Savory
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, TATA Institute of Fundamental Research Bangalore, India
| | - Varun Varma
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, TATA Institute of Fundamental Research Bangalore, India
| | - Uma Ramakrishnan
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, TATA Institute of Fundamental Research Bangalore, India
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30
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Miller RS, Sweeney SJ, Akkina JE, Saito EK. Potential Intercontinental Movement of Influenza A(H7N9) Virus into North America by Wild Birds: Application of a Rapid Assessment Framework. Transbound Emerg Dis 2014; 62:650-68. [PMID: 24589158 DOI: 10.1111/tbed.12213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2013] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
A critical question surrounding emergence of novel strains of avian influenza viruses (AIV) is the ability for wild migratory birds to translocate a complete (unreassorted whole genome) AIV intercontinentally. Virus translocation via migratory birds is suspected in outbreaks of highly pathogenic strain A(H5N1) in Asia, Africa and Europe. As a result, the potential intercontinental translocation of newly emerging AIV such as A(H7N9) from Eurasia to North America via migratory movements of birds remains a concern. An estimated 2.91 million aquatic birds move annually between Eurasia and North America with an estimated AIV prevalence as high as 32.2%. Here, we present a rapid assessment to address the likelihood of whole (unreassorted)-genome translocation of Eurasian strain AIV into North America. The scope of this assessment was limited specifically to assess the weight of evidence to support the movement of an unreassorted AIV intercontinentally by migratory aquatic birds. We developed a rapid assessment framework to assess the potential for intercontinental movement of avian influenzas by aquatic birds. This framework was iteratively reviewed by a multidisciplinary panel of scientific experts until a consensus was established. Our assessment framework identified four factors that may contribute to the potential for introduction of any AIV intercontinentally into North America by wild aquatic birds. These factors, in aggregate, provide a framework for evaluating the likelihood of new forms of AIV from Eurasia to be introduced by aquatic birds into North America. Based on our assessment, we determined that the potential for introduction of A(H7N9) into North America through aquatic migratory birds is possible, but the likelihood ranges from extremely low to low.
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Affiliation(s)
- R S Miller
- United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Veterinary Services, Center for Epidemiology and Animal Health, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - S J Sweeney
- United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Veterinary Services, Center for Epidemiology and Animal Health, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - J E Akkina
- United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Veterinary Services, Center for Epidemiology and Animal Health, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - E K Saito
- United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Veterinary Services, Center for Epidemiology and Animal Health, Fort Collins, CO, USA
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31
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Huang Y, Wille M, Dobbin A, Walzthöni NM, Robertson GJ, Ojkic D, Whitney H, Lang AS. Genetic structure of avian influenza viruses from ducks of the Atlantic flyway of North America. PLoS One 2014; 9:e86999. [PMID: 24498009 PMCID: PMC3907406 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0086999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2013] [Accepted: 12/16/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Wild birds, including waterfowl such as ducks, are reservoir hosts of influenza A viruses. Despite the increased number of avian influenza virus (AIV) genome sequences available, our understanding of AIV genetic structure and transmission through space and time in waterfowl in North America is still limited. In particular, AIVs in ducks of the Atlantic flyway of North America have not been thoroughly investigated. To begin to address this gap, we analyzed 109 AIV genome sequences from ducks in the Atlantic flyway to determine their genetic structure and to document the extent of gene flow in the context of sequences from other locations and other avian and mammalian host groups. The analyses included 25 AIVs from ducks from Newfoundland, Canada, from 2008–2011 and 84 available reference duck AIVs from the Atlantic flyway from 2006–2011. A vast diversity of viral genes and genomes was identified in the 109 viruses. The genetic structure differed amongst the 8 viral segments with predominant single lineages found for the PB2, PB1 and M segments, increased diversity found for the PA, NP and NS segments (2, 3 and 3 lineages, respectively), and the highest diversity found for the HA and NA segments (12 and 9 lineages, respectively). Identification of inter-hemispheric transmissions was rare with only 2% of the genes of Eurasian origin. Virus transmission between ducks and other bird groups was investigated, with 57.3% of the genes having highly similar (≥99% nucleotide identity) genes detected in birds other than ducks. Transmission between North American flyways has been frequent and 75.8% of the genes were highly similar to genes found in other North American flyways. However, the duck AIV genes did display spatial distribution bias, which was demonstrated by the different population sizes of specific viral genes in one or two neighbouring flyways compared to more distant flyways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanyan Huang
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
| | - Michelle Wille
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
| | - Ashley Dobbin
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
| | - Natasha M. Walzthöni
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
| | - Gregory J. Robertson
- Wildlife Research Division, Environment Canada, Mount Pearl, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
| | - Davor Ojkic
- Animal Health Laboratory, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Hugh Whitney
- Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Natural Resources, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
| | - Andrew S. Lang
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
- * E-mail:
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Wiwanitkit V, Shi B, Xia S, Yang GJ, Zhou XN, Liu J. Research priorities in modeling the transmission risks of H7N9 bird flu. Infect Dis Poverty 2013; 2:17. [PMID: 23927386 PMCID: PMC3751567 DOI: 10.1186/2049-9957-2-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2013] [Accepted: 08/06/2013] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The epidemic of H7N9 bird flu in eastern China in early 2013 has caused much attention from researchers as well as public health workers. The issue on modeling the transmission risks is very interesting topic. In this article, this issue is debated and discussed in order to promote further researches on prediction and prevention of avian influenza viruses supported by better interdisciplinary datasets from the surveillance and response system.
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Runstadler J, Hill N, Hussein ITM, Puryear W, Keogh M. Connecting the study of wild influenza with the potential for pandemic disease. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2013; 17:162-87. [PMID: 23541413 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2013.02.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2012] [Revised: 02/25/2013] [Accepted: 02/28/2013] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Continuing outbreaks of pathogenic (H5N1) and pandemic (SOIVH1N1) influenza have underscored the need to understand the origin, characteristics, and evolution of novel influenza A virus (IAV) variants that pose a threat to human health. In the last 4-5years, focus has been placed on the organization of large-scale surveillance programs to examine the phylogenetics of avian influenza virus (AIV) and host-virus relationships in domestic and wild animals. Here we review the current gaps in wild animal and environmental surveillance and the current understanding of genetic signatures in potentially pandemic strains.
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Hill NJ, Takekawa JY, Ackerman JT, Hobson KA, Herring G, Cardona CJ, Runstadler JA, Boyce WM. Migration strategy affects avian influenza dynamics in mallards (Anas platyrhynchos). Mol Ecol 2012; 21:5986-99. [PMID: 22971007 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294x.2012.05735.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2011] [Revised: 06/02/2012] [Accepted: 06/18/2012] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Studies of pathogen transmission typically overlook that wildlife hosts can include both migrant and resident populations when attempting to model circulation. Through the application of stable isotopes in flight feathers, we estimated the migration strategy of mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) occurring on California wintering grounds. Our study demonstrates that mallards- a principal host of avian influenza virus (AIV) in nature, contribute differently to virus gene flow depending on migration strategy. No difference in AIV prevalence was detected between resident (9.6%), intermediate-distance (9.6%) and long-distance migrants (7.4%). Viral diversity among the three groups was also comparable, possibly owing to viral pool mixing when birds converge at wetlands during winter. However, migrants and residents contributed differently to the virus gene pool at wintering wetlands. Migrants introduced virus from northern breeding grounds (Alaska and the NW Pacific Rim) into the wintering population, facilitating gene flow at continental scales, but circulation of imported virus appeared to be limited. In contrast, resident mallards acted as AIV reservoirs facilitating year-round circulation of limited subtypes (i.e. H5N2) at lower latitudes. This study supports a model of virus exchange in temperate regions driven by the convergence of wild birds with separate geographic origins and exposure histories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nichola J Hill
- US Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, San Francisco Bay Estuary Field Station, Vallejo, CA 94592, USA
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35
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Hénaux V, Samuel MD, Dusek RJ, Fleskes JP, Ip HS. Presence of avian influenza viruses in waterfowl and wetlands during summer 2010 in California: are resident birds a potential reservoir? PLoS One 2012; 7:e31471. [PMID: 22328934 PMCID: PMC3273456 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0031471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2011] [Accepted: 01/10/2012] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Although wild waterfowl are the main reservoir for low pathogenic avian influenza viruses (LPAIv), the environment plays a critical role for the circulation and persistence of AIv. LPAIv may persist for extended periods in cold environments, suggesting that waterfowl breeding areas in the northern hemisphere may be an important reservoir for AIv in contrast to the warmer southern wintering areas. We evaluated whether southern wetlands, with relatively small populations (thousands) of resident waterfowl, maintain AIv in the summer, prior to the arrival of millions of migratory birds. We collected water and fecal samples at ten wetlands in two regions (Yolo Bypass and Sacramento Valley) of the California Central Valley during three bi-weekly intervals beginning in late July, 2010. We detected AIv in 29/367 fecal samples (7.9%) and 12/597 water samples (2.0%) by matrix real time Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (rRT-PCR). We isolated two H3N8, two H2N3, and one H4N8 among rRT-PCR positive fecal samples but no live virus from water samples. Detection of AIv RNA in fecal samples was higher from wetlands in the Sacramento Valley (11.9%) than in the Yolo Bypass (0.0%), but no difference was found for water samples (2.7 vs. 1.7%, respectively). Our study showed that low densities of hosts and unfavorable environmental conditions did not prevent LPAIv circulation during summer in California wetlands. Our findings justify further investigations to understand AIv dynamics in resident waterfowl populations, compare AIv subtypes between migratory and resident waterfowl, and assess the importance of local AIv as a source of infection for migratory birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viviane Hénaux
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America.
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36
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Genetic structure of Pacific Flyway avian influenza viruses is shaped by geographic location, host species, and sampling period. Virus Genes 2012; 44:415-28. [PMID: 22222690 DOI: 10.1007/s11262-011-0706-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2011] [Accepted: 12/20/2011] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
The eight gene segments of avian influenza virus (AIV) reassort frequently and rapidly to generate novel genotypes and subtypes that are transmissible to a broad range of hosts. There is evidence that AIV can have a restricted host range and can segregate in space and time. Host-virus relationships at the species, geographic, and spatial scales have not been fully defined for AIV populations of the Pacific Flyway, particularly among the diverse waterfowl that occupy the Flyway in Alaska and California. Using the sequence analysis program Bayesian Tip-association Significance testing (BaTS) created for analysis of phylogeny-trait associations, we determined whether the genetic structure of Pacific Flyway AIVs sampled between 2006 and 2008 was influenced by the host species, geographic location of virus collection, and time of sampling. In posterior sets of trees, genetically similar viruses clustered by host species for thick-billed murres and glaucous gulls (order Charadriiformes), and for northern shovelers, northern pintails, and mallards (order Anseriformes). AIVs from Alaska and California were strongly spatially structured, clustering separately by region across all segments. The timing of sampling influenced the genetic structure of California AIV gene segments, possibly reflecting waves of host species movement into wintering areas. The strength of phylogeny-trait association varied by virus segment and by trait of interest, which we hypothesize is related to the frequent genetic reassortment and interspecies transmission in waterfowl.
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Hill NJ, Takekawa JY, Cardona CJ, Meixell BW, Ackerman JT, Runstadler JA, Boyce WM. Cross-seasonal patterns of avian influenza virus in breeding and wintering migratory birds: a flyway perspective. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2011; 12:243-53. [PMID: 21995264 DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2010.0246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The spread of avian influenza viruses (AIV) in nature is intrinsically linked with the movements of wild birds. Wild birds are the reservoirs for the virus and their migration may facilitate the circulation of AIV between breeding and wintering areas. This cycle of dispersal has become widely accepted; however, there are few AIV studies that present cross-seasonal information. A flyway perspective is critical for understanding how wild birds contribute to the persistence of AIV over large spatial and temporal scales, with implications for how to focus surveillance efforts and identify risks to public health. This study characterized spatio-temporal infection patterns in 10,389 waterfowl at two important locations within the Pacific Flyway--breeding sites in Interior Alaska and wintering sites in California's Central Valley during 2007-2009. Among the dabbling ducks sampled, the northern shoveler (Anas clypeata) had the highest prevalence of AIV at both breeding (32.2%) and wintering (5.2%) locations. This is in contrast to surveillance studies conducted in other flyways that have identified the mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) and northern pintail (Anas acuta) as hosts with the highest prevalence. A higher diversity of AIV subtypes was apparent at wintering (n=42) compared with breeding sites (n=17), with evidence of mixed infections at both locations. Our study suggests that wintering sites may act as an important mixing bowl for transmission among waterfowl in a flyway, creating opportunities for the reassortment of the virus. Our findings shed light on how the dynamics of AIV infection of wild bird populations can vary between the two ends of a migratory flyway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nichola J Hill
- Western Ecological Research Center, San Francisco Bay Estuary Field Station, U.S. Geological Survey, Vallejo, California, USA
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Reeves AB, Pearce JM, Ramey AM, Meixell BW, Runstadler JA. Interspecies transmission and limited persistence of low pathogenic avian influenza genomes among Alaska dabbling ducks. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2011; 11:2004-10. [PMID: 21964597 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2011.09.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2011] [Revised: 08/24/2011] [Accepted: 09/06/2011] [Indexed: 12/09/2022]
Abstract
The reassortment and geographic distribution of low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) virus genes are well documented, but little is known about the persistence of intact LPAI genomes among species and locations. To examine persistence of entire LPAI genome constellations in Alaska, we calculated the genetic identities among 161 full-genome LPAI viruses isolated across 4 years from five species of duck: northern pintail (Anas acuta), mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), American green-winged teal (Anas crecca), northern shoveler (Anas clypeata) and American wigeon (Anas americana). Based on pairwise genetic distance, highly similar LPAI genomes (>99% identity) were observed within and between species and across a range of geographic distances (up to and >1000 km), but most often between isolates collected 0-10 km apart. Highly similar viruses were detected between years, suggesting inter-annual persistence, but these were rare in our data set with the majority occurring within 0-9 days of sampling. These results identify LPAI transmission pathways in the context of species, space and time, an initial perspective into the extent of regional virus distribution and persistence, and insight into why no completely Eurasian genomes have ever been detected in Alaska. Such information will be useful in forecasting the movement of foreign-origin avian influenza strains should they be introduced to North America.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew B Reeves
- US Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, 4210 University Drive, Anchorage, AK 99508, USA.
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Wilcox BR, Knutsen GA, Berdeen J, Goekjian V, Poulson R, Goyal S, Sreevatsan S, Cardona C, Berghaus RD, Swayne DE, Yabsley MJ, Stallknecht DE. Influenza-A viruses in ducks in northwestern Minnesota: fine scale spatial and temporal variation in prevalence and subtype diversity. PLoS One 2011; 6:e24010. [PMID: 21931636 PMCID: PMC3172203 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0024010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2011] [Accepted: 08/02/2011] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Waterfowl from northwestern Minnesota were sampled by cloacal swabbing for Avian Influenza Virus (AIV) from July – October in 2007 and 2008. AIV was detected in 222 (9.1%) of 2,441 ducks in 2007 and in 438 (17.9%) of 2,452 ducks in 2008. Prevalence of AIV peaked in late summer. We detected 27 AIV subtypes during 2007 and 31 during 2008. Ten hemagglutinin (HA) subtypes were detected each year (i.e., H1, 3–8, and 10–12 during 2007; H1-8, 10 and 11 during 2008). All neuraminidase (NA) subtypes were detected during each year of the study. Subtype diversity varied between years and increased with prevalence into September. Predominant subtypes during 2007 (comprising ≥5% of subtype diversity) included H1N1, H3N6, H3N8, H4N6, H7N3, H10N7, and H11N9. Predominant subtypes during 2008 included H3N6, H3N8, H4N6, H4N8, H6N1, and H10N7. Additionally, within each HA subtype, the same predominant HA/NA subtype combinations were detected each year and included H1N1, H3N8, H4N6, H5N2, H6N1, H7N3, H8N4, H10N7, and H11N9. The H2N3 and H12N5 viruses also predominated within the H2 and H12 subtypes, respectively, but only were detected during a single year (H2 and H12 viruses were not detected during 2007 and 2008, respectively). Mallards were the predominant species sampled (63.7% of the total), and 531 AIV were isolated from this species (80.5% of the total isolates). Mallard data collected during both years adequately described the observed temporal and spatial prevalence from the total sample and also adequately represented subtype diversity. Juvenile mallards also were adequate in describing the temporal and spatial prevalence of AIV as well as subtype diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin R. Wilcox
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, Department of Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
- Daniel B. Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Gregory A. Knutsen
- Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Middle River, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - James Berdeen
- Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Wetland Wildlife Populations and Research Group, Bemidji, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Virginia Goekjian
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, Department of Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Rebecca Poulson
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, Department of Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Sagar Goyal
- Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Srinand Sreevatsan
- Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States of America
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Carol Cardona
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Roy D. Berghaus
- Department of Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
| | - David E. Swayne
- Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Michael J. Yabsley
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, Department of Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
- Daniel B. Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - David E. Stallknecht
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, Department of Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
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Brown CR, O'Brien VA. Are Wild Birds Important in the Transport of Arthropod-borne Viruses? ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2011. [DOI: 10.1525/om.2011.71.1.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
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Hoye BJ, Munster VJ, Nishiura H, Klaassen M, Fouchier RAM. Surveillance of wild birds for avian influenza virus. Emerg Infect Dis 2011; 16:1827-34. [PMID: 21122209 PMCID: PMC3294547 DOI: 10.3201/eid1612.100589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
TOC Summary: A targeted, hypothesis-based approach and local surveys over broad geographic areas are needed. Recent demand for increased understanding of avian influenza virus in its natural hosts, together with the development of high-throughput diagnostics, has heralded a new era in wildlife disease surveillance. However, survey design, sampling, and interpretation in the context of host populations still present major challenges. We critically reviewed current surveillance to distill a series of considerations pertinent to avian influenza virus surveillance in wild birds, including consideration of what, when, where, and how many to sample in the context of survey objectives. Recognizing that wildlife disease surveillance is logistically and financially constrained, we discuss pragmatic alternatives for achieving probability-based sampling schemes that capture this host–pathogen system. We recommend hypothesis-driven surveillance through standardized, local surveys that are, in turn, strategically compiled over broad geographic areas. Rethinking the use of existing surveillance infrastructure can thereby greatly enhance our global understanding of avian influenza and other zoonotic diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bethany J Hoye
- Netherlands Institute for Ecology, Nieuwersluis, the Netherlands.
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Hansbro PM, Warner S, Tracey JP, Arzey KE, Selleck P, O'Riley K, Beckett EL, Bunn C, Kirkland PD, Vijaykrishna D, Olsen B, Hurt AC. Surveillance and analysis of avian influenza viruses, Australia. Emerg Infect Dis 2011; 16:1896-904. [PMID: 21122219 PMCID: PMC3294589 DOI: 10.3201/eid1612.100776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigated carriage of avian influenza viruses by wild birds in Australia, 2005-2008, to assess the risks to poultry industries and human health. We collected 21,858 (7,357 cloacal, 14,501 fecal) samples and detected 300 viruses, representing a detection rate of ≈1.4%. Rates were highest in autumn (March-May) and differed substantially between bird types, areas, and years. We typed 107 avian influenza viruses and identified 19 H5, 8 H7, and 16 H9 (40% of typed viruses). All were of low pathogenicity. These viruses formed clearly different phylogenetic clades to lineages from Eurasia or North America, suggesting the potential existence of Australian lineages. H7 viruses were similar to highly pathogenic H7 strains that caused outbreaks in poultry in Australia. Several periods of increased detection rates (numbers or subtypes of viruses) were identified. This study demonstrates the need for ongoing surveillance to detect emerging pathogenic strains and facilitate prevention of outbreaks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip M Hansbro
- The University of Newcastle, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia.
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Pearce JM, Reeves AB, Ramey AM, Hupp JW, Ip HS, Bertram M, Petrula MJ, Scotton BD, Trust KA, Meixell BW, Runstadler JA. Interspecific exchange of avian influenza virus genes in Alaska: the influence of trans-hemispheric migratory tendency and breeding ground sympatry. Mol Ecol 2011; 20:1015-25. [PMID: 21073586 PMCID: PMC3041836 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294x.2010.04908.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The movement and transmission of avian influenza viral strains via wild migratory birds may vary by host species as a result of migratory tendency and sympatry with other infected individuals. To examine the roles of host migratory tendency and species sympatry on the movement of Eurasian low-pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) genes into North America, we characterized migratory patterns and LPAI viral genomic variation in mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) of Alaska in comparison with LPAI diversity of northern pintails (Anas acuta). A 50-year band-recovery data set suggests that unlike northern pintails, mallards rarely make trans-hemispheric migrations between Alaska and Eurasia. Concordantly, fewer (14.5%) of 62 LPAI isolates from mallards contained Eurasian gene segments compared to those from 97 northern pintails (35%), a species with greater inter-continental migratory tendency. Aerial survey and banding data suggest that mallards and northern pintails are largely sympatric throughout Alaska during the breeding season, promoting opportunities for interspecific transmission. Comparisons of full-genome isolates confirmed near-complete genetic homology (>99.5%) of seven viruses between mallards and northern pintails. This study found viral segments of Eurasian lineage at a higher frequency in mallards than previous studies, suggesting transmission from other avian species migrating inter-hemispherically or the common occurrence of endemic Alaskan viruses containing segments of Eurasian origin. We conclude that mallards are unlikely to transfer Asian-origin viruses directly to North America via Alaska but that they are likely infected with Asian-origin viruses via interspecific transfer from species with regular migrations to the Eastern Hemisphere.
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Affiliation(s)
- John M Pearce
- US Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, 4210 University Drive, Anchorage, AK 99508, USA.
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Shi W, Lei F, Zhu C, Sievers F, Higgins DG. A complete analysis of HA and NA genes of influenza A viruses. PLoS One 2010; 5:e14454. [PMID: 21209922 PMCID: PMC3012125 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0014454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2010] [Accepted: 11/29/2010] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND More and more nucleotide sequences of type A influenza virus are available in public databases. Although these sequences have been the focus of many molecular epidemiological and phylogenetic analyses, most studies only deal with a few representative sequences. In this paper, we present a complete analysis of all Haemagglutinin (HA) and Neuraminidase (NA) gene sequences available to allow large scale analyses of the evolution and epidemiology of type A influenza. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS This paper describes an analysis and complete classification of all HA and NA gene sequences available in public databases using multivariate and phylogenetic methods. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE We analyzed 18,975 HA sequences and divided them into 280 subgroups according to multivariate and phylogenetic analyses. Similarly, we divided 11,362 NA sequences into 202 subgroups. Compared to previous analyses, this work is more detailed and comprehensive, especially for the bigger datasets. Therefore, it can be used to show the full and complex phylogenetic diversity and provides a framework for studying the molecular evolution and epidemiology of type A influenza virus. For more than 85% of type A influenza HA and NA sequences into GenBank, they are categorized in one unambiguous and unique group. Therefore, our results are a kind of genetic and phylogenetic annotation for influenza HA and NA sequences. In addition, sequences of swine influenza viruses come from 56 HA and 45 NA subgroups. Most of these subgroups also include viruses from other hosts indicating cross species transmission of the viruses between pigs and other hosts. Furthermore, the phylogenetic diversity of swine influenza viruses from Eurasia is greater than that of North American strains and both of them are becoming more diverse. Apart from viruses from human, pigs, birds and horses, viruses from other species show very low phylogenetic diversity. This might indicate that viruses have not become established in these species. Based on current evidence, there is no simple pattern of inter-hemisphere transmission of avian influenza viruses and it appears to happen sporadically. However, for H6 subtype avian influenza viruses, such transmissions might have happened very frequently and multiple and bidirectional transmission events might exist.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weifeng Shi
- The Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
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Avian biology, the human influence on global avian influenza transmission, and performing surveillance in wild birds. Anim Health Res Rev 2010; 11:35-41. [PMID: 20591212 DOI: 10.1017/s1466252310000058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
This paper takes a closer look at three interrelated areas of study: avian host biology, the role of human activities in virus transmission, and the surveillance activities centered on avian influenza in wild birds. There are few ecosystems in which birds are not found. Correspondingly, avian influenza viruses are equally global in distribution, relying on competent avian hosts. The immune systems, annual cycles, feeding behaviors, and migration patterns of these hosts influence the ecology of the disease. Decreased biodiversity has also been linked to heightened disease transmission in several disease systems, and it is evident that active destruction and modification of wetland environments for human use is impacting avian populations drastically. Legal and illegal trade in wild birds present a significant risk for introduction and maintenance of exotic diseases. After the emergence of HPAI H5N1 in Hong Kong in 1996 and the ensuing geographic spread of outbreaks after 2003, both infected countries and those at risk of introduction began intensifying avian influenza surveillance efforts. Several techniques for sampling wild birds for influenza viruses have been applied. Benefits, problems, and biases exist for each method. The wild bird avian influenza surveillance programs taking place across the continents are now scaling back due to the rise of other spending priorities; hopefully the lessons learned from this work will be preserved and will inform future research and disease outbreak response priorities.
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Ramey AM, Pearce JM, Ely CR, Guy LMS, Irons DB, Derksen DV, Ip HS. Transmission and reassortment of avian influenza viruses at the Asian-North American interface. Virology 2010; 406:352-9. [PMID: 20709346 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2010.07.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2010] [Revised: 06/28/2010] [Accepted: 07/20/2010] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Twenty avian influenza viruses were isolated from seven wild migratory bird species sampled at St. Lawrence Island, Alaska. We tested predictions based on previous phylogenetic analyses of avian influenza viruses that support spatially dependent trans-hemispheric gene flow and frequent interspecies transmission at a location situated at the Asian-North American interface. Through the application of phylogenetic and genotypic approaches, our data support functional dilution by distance of trans-hemispheric reassortants and interspecific virus transmission. Our study confirms infection of divergent avian taxa with nearly identical avian influenza strains in the wild. Findings also suggest that H16N3 viruses may contain gene segments with unique phylogenetic positions and that further investigation of how host specificity may impact transmission of H13 and H16 viruses is warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew M Ramey
- US Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, 4210 University Drive, Anchorage, AK 99508, USA.
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Fuller TL, Saatchi SS, Curd EE, Toffelmier E, Thomassen HA, Buermann W, DeSante DF, Nott MP, Saracco JF, Ralph CJ, Alexander JD, Pollinger JP, Smith TB. Mapping the risk of avian influenza in wild birds in the US. BMC Infect Dis 2010; 10:187. [PMID: 20573228 PMCID: PMC2912310 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2334-10-187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2010] [Accepted: 06/23/2010] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Avian influenza virus (AIV) is an important public health issue because pandemic influenza viruses in people have contained genes from viruses that infect birds. The H5 and H7 AIV subtypes have periodically mutated from low pathogenicity to high pathogenicity form. Analysis of the geographic distribution of AIV can identify areas where reassortment events might occur and how high pathogenicity influenza might travel if it enters wild bird populations in the US. Modelling the number of AIV cases is important because the rate of co-infection with multiple AIV subtypes increases with the number of cases and co-infection is the source of reassortment events that give rise to new strains of influenza, which occurred before the 1968 pandemic. Aquatic birds in the orders Anseriformes and Charadriiformes have been recognized as reservoirs of AIV since the 1970s. However, little is known about influenza prevalence in terrestrial birds in the order Passeriformes. Since passerines share the same habitat as poultry, they may be more effective transmitters of the disease to humans than aquatic birds. We analyze 152 passerine species including the American Robin (Turdus migratorius) and Swainson's Thrush (Catharus ustulatus). METHODS We formulate a regression model to predict AIV cases throughout the US at the county scale as a function of 12 environmental variables, sampling effort, and proximity to other counties with influenza outbreaks. Our analysis did not distinguish between types of influenza, including low or highly pathogenic forms. RESULTS Analysis of 13,046 cloacal samples collected from 225 bird species in 41 US states between 2005 and 2008 indicates that the average prevalence of influenza in passerines is greater than the prevalence in eight other avian orders. Our regression model identifies the Great Plains and the Pacific Northwest as high-risk areas for AIV. Highly significant predictors of AIV include the amount of harvested cropland and the first day of the year when a county is snow free. CONCLUSIONS Although the prevalence of influenza in waterfowl has long been appreciated, we show that 22 species of song birds and perching birds (order Passeriformes) are influenza reservoirs in the contiguous US.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trevon L Fuller
- Center for Tropical Research, Institute of the Environment, University of California, Los Angeles, La Kretz Hall, Suite 300, Box 951496, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1496, USA
| | - Sassan S Saatchi
- Center for Tropical Research, Institute of the Environment, University of California, Los Angeles, La Kretz Hall, Suite 300, Box 951496, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1496, USA
- Radar Science Technical Group, Radar Science & Engineering Section, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109-8099, USA
| | - Emily E Curd
- Center for Tropical Research, Institute of the Environment, University of California, Los Angeles, La Kretz Hall, Suite 300, Box 951496, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1496, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, 621 Charles E. Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, USA
| | - Erin Toffelmier
- Center for Tropical Research, Institute of the Environment, University of California, Los Angeles, La Kretz Hall, Suite 300, Box 951496, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1496, USA
| | - Henri A Thomassen
- Center for Tropical Research, Institute of the Environment, University of California, Los Angeles, La Kretz Hall, Suite 300, Box 951496, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1496, USA
| | - Wolfgang Buermann
- Center for Tropical Research, Institute of the Environment, University of California, Los Angeles, La Kretz Hall, Suite 300, Box 951496, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1496, USA
- Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1565, USA
| | - David F DeSante
- The Institute for Bird Populations, P.O. Box 1346, Point Reyes Station, CA 94956-1346, USA
| | - Mark P Nott
- The Institute for Bird Populations, P.O. Box 1346, Point Reyes Station, CA 94956-1346, USA
| | - James F Saracco
- The Institute for Bird Populations, P.O. Box 1346, Point Reyes Station, CA 94956-1346, USA
| | - CJ Ralph
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station, Redwood Sciences Laboratory, 1700 Bayview Drive, Arcata, CA 95521, USA
| | | | - John P Pollinger
- Center for Tropical Research, Institute of the Environment, University of California, Los Angeles, La Kretz Hall, Suite 300, Box 951496, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1496, USA
| | - Thomas B Smith
- Center for Tropical Research, Institute of the Environment, University of California, Los Angeles, La Kretz Hall, Suite 300, Box 951496, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1496, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, 621 Charles E. Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, USA
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Ramey AM, Pearce JM, Flint PL, Ip HS, Derksen DV, Franson JC, Petrula MJ, Scotton BD, Sowl KM, Wege ML, Trust KA. Intercontinental reassortment and genomic variation of low pathogenic avian influenza viruses isolated from northern pintails (Anas acuta) in Alaska: Examining the evidence through space and time. Virology 2010; 401:179-89. [DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2010.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2009] [Revised: 01/20/2010] [Accepted: 02/04/2010] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Tseng M, Bernatchez L. Editorial: 2009 in review. Evol Appl 2010; 3:93-5. [PMID: 25567909 PMCID: PMC3352473 DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-4571.2010.00122.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
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Pearce JM, Ramey AM, Ip HS, Gill RE. Limited evidence of trans-hemispheric movement of avian influenza viruses among contemporary North American shorebird isolates. Virus Res 2009; 148:44-50. [PMID: 19995585 DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2009.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2009] [Revised: 11/30/2009] [Accepted: 12/02/2009] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Migratory routes of gulls, terns, and shorebirds (Charadriiformes) are known to cross hemispheric boundaries and intersect with outbreak areas of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). Prior assessments of low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) among species of this taxonomic order found some evidence for trans-hemispheric movement of virus genes. To specifically clarify the role of shorebird species in the trans-hemispheric movement of influenza viruses, assess the temporal variation of Eurasian lineages observed previously among North American shorebirds, and evaluate the necessity for continued sampling of these birds for HPAI in North America, we conducted a phylogenetic analysis of >700 contemporary sequences isolated between 2000 and 2008. Evidence for trans-hemispheric reassortment among North American shorebird LPAI gene segments was lower (0.88%) than previous assessments and occurred only among eastern North American isolates. Furthermore, half of the reassortment events occurred in just two isolates. Unique phylogenetic placement of these samples suggests secondary infection and or involvement of other migratory species, such as gulls. Eurasian lineages observed in North American shorebirds before 2000 were not detected among contemporary samples, suggesting temporal variation of LPAI lineages. Results suggest that additional bird migration ecology and virus phylogenetics research is needed to determine the exact mechanisms by which shorebirds in eastern North America become infected with LPAI that contain Eurasian lineage genes. Because of the low prevalence of avian influenza in non-eastern North America sites, thousands more shorebirds will need to be sampled to sufficiently examine genetic diversity and trans-hemispheric exchange of LPAI viruses in these areas. Alternatively, other avian taxa with higher virus prevalence could serve as surrogates to shorebirds for optimizing regional surveillance programs for HPAI through the LPAI phylogenetic approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- John M Pearce
- Alaska Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Anchorage, AK 99508, USA.
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