Understanding Circulating Avian Influenza Viruses and How They Spread
USGS research is quantifying the strains and prevalence of avian influenza viruses circulating in wild waterfowl and improving our understanding of how viruses move between and within migratory flyways.
Most waterfowl species are highly mobile across the annual cycle, migrating hundreds of miles or more between breeding and wintering grounds. These annual cycle movements can have important consequences for avian influenza virus spread and risk to susceptible populations, such as other wildlife species or domestic birds such as poultry. Understanding viral dynamics such as how strain composition and prevalence changes throughout a season and how viruses move within and between migratory flyways is necessary to predict the threats posed by these viruses and risks to economically important agriculture systems such as poultry production.
Previous USGS research in the Atlantic Flyway found that viruses isolated from wild birds indicated genetic stability across some isolates, suggesting that some infections were driven by environmental persistence. Furthermore, evidence of virus gene flow between the northern and southern study locations suggested that migratory waterfowl movements between the two locations drove viral gene flow within the flyway. Finally, Bayesian phylogenetic analyses provided evidence for virus dissemination from other North American wild birds to dabbling ducks, shorebirds, and poultry. This research also documented virus dissemination from shorebirds to gulls, and dabbling ducks to shorebirds and poultry.
USGS scientists are continuing efforts to explore how the diversity of viral subtypes changes across space and time and are initiating efforts to understand factors that influence arrival of novel subtypes at specific locations along migratory routes. Additionally, to better understand how avian influenza viruses move between species, USGS researchers have also expanded sampling to a wider range of potential host species.
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USGS research is quantifying the strains and prevalence of avian influenza viruses circulating in wild waterfowl and improving our understanding of how viruses move between and within migratory flyways.
Most waterfowl species are highly mobile across the annual cycle, migrating hundreds of miles or more between breeding and wintering grounds. These annual cycle movements can have important consequences for avian influenza virus spread and risk to susceptible populations, such as other wildlife species or domestic birds such as poultry. Understanding viral dynamics such as how strain composition and prevalence changes throughout a season and how viruses move within and between migratory flyways is necessary to predict the threats posed by these viruses and risks to economically important agriculture systems such as poultry production.
Previous USGS research in the Atlantic Flyway found that viruses isolated from wild birds indicated genetic stability across some isolates, suggesting that some infections were driven by environmental persistence. Furthermore, evidence of virus gene flow between the northern and southern study locations suggested that migratory waterfowl movements between the two locations drove viral gene flow within the flyway. Finally, Bayesian phylogenetic analyses provided evidence for virus dissemination from other North American wild birds to dabbling ducks, shorebirds, and poultry. This research also documented virus dissemination from shorebirds to gulls, and dabbling ducks to shorebirds and poultry.
USGS scientists are continuing efforts to explore how the diversity of viral subtypes changes across space and time and are initiating efforts to understand factors that influence arrival of novel subtypes at specific locations along migratory routes. Additionally, to better understand how avian influenza viruses move between species, USGS researchers have also expanded sampling to a wider range of potential host species.