Evidence of Infection by H5N2 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Viruses in Healthy Wild Waterfowl

PLoS Pathogens

Shiiwuua Manu¹  Julien Cappelle²  Patricia Gil²  François Monicat²  Saliha Hammoumi²  Nicolas Gaidet²  John H. Mshelbwala³  Joseph Domenech⁴  Scott H. Newman⁴  Juan Lubroth⁴  Pierfrancesco Micheloni⁵  Giovanni Cattoli⁶  Ilaria Capua⁶  Isabella Monne⁶  Alice Fusaro⁶  Tony Joannis⁷  Ulf Ottosson⁸  John Y. Takekawa⁹  Tim Dodman^1,10  Ward Hagemeijer^1,10 

[1] AP Leventis Ornithological Research Institute, Jos, Nigeria;Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement, Montpellier, France;Federal Department of Forestry, Abuja, Nigeria;Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Animal Production and Health Division, Rome, Italy;Istituto Nazionale per la Fauna Selvatica, Bologna, Italy;Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Legnaro, Italy;National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom, Nigeria;Ottenby Bird Observatory, Kehlen, Luxembourg;U.S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, Vallejo California, United States of America;Wetlands International, Wageningen, The Netherlands

关键词: Viral pathogens;    Birds;    Ducks;    H5N1;    Poultry;    Waterfowl;    Avian influenza;    Animal migration;   

DOI  :  10.1371/journal.ppat.1000127

学科分类：生物科学（综合）

来源: Public Library of Science

【 摘 要 】

The potential existence of a wild bird reservoir for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has been recently questioned by the spread and the persisting circulation of H5N1 HPAI viruses, responsible for concurrent outbreaks in migratory and domestic birds over Asia, Europe, and Africa. During a large-scale surveillance programme over Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, we detected avian influenza viruses of H5N2 subtype with a highly pathogenic (HP) viral genotype in healthy birds of two wild waterfowl species sampled in Nigeria. We monitored the survival and regional movements of one of the infected birds through satellite telemetry, providing a rare evidence of a non-lethal natural infection by an HP viral genotype in wild birds. Phylogenetic analysis of the H5N2 viruses revealed close genetic relationships with H5 viruses of low pathogenicity circulating in Eurasian wild and domestic ducks. In addition, genetic analysis did not reveal known gallinaceous poultry adaptive mutations, suggesting that the emergence of HP strains could have taken place in either wild or domestic ducks or in non-gallinaceous species. The presence of coexisting but genetically distinguishable avian influenza viruses with an HP viral genotype in two cohabiting species of wild waterfowl, with evidence of non-lethal infection at least in one species and without evidence of prior extensive circulation of the virus in domestic poultry, suggest that some strains with a potential high pathogenicity for poultry could be maintained in a community of wild waterfowl.

【 授权许可】

CC BY