USGS Wild Bird Avian Influenza Program – Studies from Endemic Regions of Eurasia Active
This project focuses on tracking wild birds throughout Eurasia via satellite telemetry to better understand their spatiotemporal movement patterns, relationship to domestic birds, and potential role in the spread, persistence, and amplification of avian influenza viruses.
Following outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Eurasia, many researchers have attempted to determine how this virus spreads across the landscape. Unfortunately, prior to this work, most studies on HPAI movements were based on virology data alone, with no information on host ecology. Beginning in 2007, USGS Eastern Ecological Science Center and Western Ecological Research Center developed a Wild Bird Avian Influenza Program to improve the scientific understanding of the role wild bird’s play in the circulation of highly pathogenic avian influenza.
Our research began with marking waterfowl species from Qinghai Lake, China, with satellite telemetry units to understand movement patterns and exposure to poultry and virus risk factors. In an expanded partnership with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and multiple local partners, we have marked more than 650 waterfowl of 24 species within HPAI zones of persistence. The work spans 11 countries and the 4 main flyways of Eurasia (East African – West Asian, Black Sea - Mediterranean, Central Asian, and East Asian flyway). Using remote sensing, spatial, and statistical approaches we have modeled H5N1 transmission risk between wild and domestic bird populations, incorporating uncertainty within the modeling process. Our studies provide new information that counters some hypothesized movements proposed in prior studies and stress the need for a combined approach of virology and ecology of wild host species.
This study has, and will continue to, provide valuable insight into risk factors for the spread of HPAI, and the role wild bird’s play in transmitting such viruses across the landscape. By continuing to increase and analyze this data set we hope to provide researchers with a better understanding of this emerging issue.
Prosser, D. J. 2012. Wild birds and emerging diseases: modeling avian influenza transmission risk between domestic and wild birds in China. Ph. D. dissertation, University of Maryland, College Park, MD. xi, 229 pp.
Tracking domestic ducks: A novel approach for documenting poultry market chains in the context of avian influenza transmission
Spatial modeling of wild bird risk factors to investigate highly pathogenic A(H5N1) avian influenza virus transmission
Avian influenza H5N1 viral and bird migration networks in Asia
Movement analysis of free-grazing domestic ducks in Poyang Lake, China: A disease connection
Movement ecology of five Afrotropical waterfowl species from Malawi, Mali and Nigeria
Risks of avian influenza transmission in areas of intensive free-ranging duck production with wild waterfowl
Animal migration and risk of spread of viral infections
Movements of wild ruddy shelducks in the Central Asian Flyway and their spatial relationship to outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1
Mapping risk of avian influenza transmission at the interface of domestic poultry and wild birds
Eco-virological approach for assessing the role of wild birds in the spread of avian influenza H5N1 along the central Asian flyway
Spatial distribution and risk factors of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 in China
Modelling the distribution of chickens, ducks, and geese in China
Below are partners associated with this project.
- Overview
This project focuses on tracking wild birds throughout Eurasia via satellite telemetry to better understand their spatiotemporal movement patterns, relationship to domestic birds, and potential role in the spread, persistence, and amplification of avian influenza viruses.
Following outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Eurasia, many researchers have attempted to determine how this virus spreads across the landscape. Unfortunately, prior to this work, most studies on HPAI movements were based on virology data alone, with no information on host ecology. Beginning in 2007, USGS Eastern Ecological Science Center and Western Ecological Research Center developed a Wild Bird Avian Influenza Program to improve the scientific understanding of the role wild bird’s play in the circulation of highly pathogenic avian influenza.
Our research began with marking waterfowl species from Qinghai Lake, China, with satellite telemetry units to understand movement patterns and exposure to poultry and virus risk factors. In an expanded partnership with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and multiple local partners, we have marked more than 650 waterfowl of 24 species within HPAI zones of persistence. The work spans 11 countries and the 4 main flyways of Eurasia (East African – West Asian, Black Sea - Mediterranean, Central Asian, and East Asian flyway). Using remote sensing, spatial, and statistical approaches we have modeled H5N1 transmission risk between wild and domestic bird populations, incorporating uncertainty within the modeling process. Our studies provide new information that counters some hypothesized movements proposed in prior studies and stress the need for a combined approach of virology and ecology of wild host species.
This study has, and will continue to, provide valuable insight into risk factors for the spread of HPAI, and the role wild bird’s play in transmitting such viruses across the landscape. By continuing to increase and analyze this data set we hope to provide researchers with a better understanding of this emerging issue. - Publications
Prosser, D. J. 2012. Wild birds and emerging diseases: modeling avian influenza transmission risk between domestic and wild birds in China. Ph. D. dissertation, University of Maryland, College Park, MD. xi, 229 pp.
Filter Total Items: 34Tracking domestic ducks: A novel approach for documenting poultry market chains in the context of avian influenza transmission
Agro-ecological conditions associated with the spread and persistence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) are not well understood, but the trade of live poultry is suspected to be a major pathway. Although market chains of live bird trade have been studied through indirect means including interviews and questionnaires, direct methods have not been used to identify movements of individual pAuthorsChang-Yong Choi, John Y. Takekawa, Yue Xiong, Martin Wikelski, George Heine, Diann J. Prosser, Scott H. Newman, John Edwards, Fusheng Guo, Xiangming XiaoSpatial modeling of wild bird risk factors to investigate highly pathogenic A(H5N1) avian influenza virus transmission
One of the longest-persisting avian influenza viruses in history, highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) A(H5N1), continues to evolve after 18 years, advancing the threat of a global pandemic. Wild waterfowl (family Anatidae), are reported as secondary transmitters of HPAIV, and primary reservoirs for low-pathogenic avian influenza viruses, yet spatial inputs for disease risk modeling forAuthorsDiann J. Prosser, Laura L. Hungerford, R. Michael Erwin, Mary Ann Ottinger, John Y. Takekawa, Scott H. Newman, Xianming Xiao, Erie C. EllisAvian influenza H5N1 viral and bird migration networks in Asia
The spatial spread of the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus H5N1 and its long-term persistence in Asia have resulted in avian influenza panzootics and enormous economic losses in the poultry sector. However, an understanding of the regional long-distance transmission and seasonal patterns of the virus is still lacking. In this study, we present a phylogeographic approach to reconstruct the vAuthorsHuaivu Tian, Sen Zhou, Lu Dong, Thomas P. Van Boeckel, Yujun Cui, Scott H. Newman, John Y. Takekawa, Diann J. Prosser, Xiangming Xiao, Yarong Wu, Bernard Cazelles, Shanqian Huang, Ruifu Yang, Bryan T. Grenfell, Bing XuMovement analysis of free-grazing domestic ducks in Poyang Lake, China: A disease connection
Previous work suggests domestic poultry are important contributors to the emergence and transmission of highly pathogenic avian influenza throughout Asia. In Poyang Lake, China, domestic duck production cycles are synchronized with arrival and departure of thousands of migratory wild birds in the area. During these periods, high densities of juvenile domestic ducks are in close proximity to migratAuthorsDiann J. Prosser, Eric C. Palm, John Y. Takekawa, Delong Zhao, Xiangming Xiao, Peng Li, Ying Liu, Scott H. NewmanMovement ecology of five Afrotropical waterfowl species from Malawi, Mali and Nigeria
Habitat availability for Afrotropical waterbirds is highly dynamic with unpredictable rainfall patterns and ephemeral wetlands resulting in diverse movement strategies among different species. Movement strategies among waterfowl encompass resident, regional and intercontinental migrants, but little quantitative information exists on their specific movement patterns. We studied the movement ecologyAuthorsJohn Y. Takekawa, Shane R. Heath, S. R. L. Iverson, Nicolas Gaidet, Julien Cappelle, Tim Dodman, Ward Hagemeijer, William D. Eldridge, Scott A. Petrie, Gregory S. Yarris, Shiiwua Manu, Glenn H. Olsen, Diann J. Prosser, Kyle A. Spragens, David C. Douglas, Scott H. NewmanRisks of avian influenza transmission in areas of intensive free-ranging duck production with wild waterfowl
For decades, southern China has been considered to be an important source for emerging influenza viruses since key hosts live together in high densities in areas with intensive agriculture. However, the underlying conditions of emergence and spread of avian influenza viruses (AIV) have not been studied in detail, particularly the complex spatiotemporal interplay of viral transmission between wildAuthorsJulien Cappelle, Delong Zhao, Marius Gilbert, Scott H. Newman, John Y. Takekawa, Nicolas Gaidet, Diann J. Prosser, Ying Liu, Peng Li, Yuelong Shu, Xiangming XiaoAnimal migration and risk of spread of viral infections
The potential contribution of migration towards the spread of disease is as varied as the ecology of the pathogens themselves and their host populations. This chapter outlines multiple examples of viral diseases in animal populations and their mechanisms of viral spread. Many species of insects, mammals, fish, and birds exhibit migratory behavior and have the potential to disperse diseases over loAuthorsDiann J. Prosser, Jessica L. Nagel, John Y. TakekawaMovements of wild ruddy shelducks in the Central Asian Flyway and their spatial relationship to outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1
Highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 remains a serious concern for both poultry and human health. Wild waterfowl are considered to be the reservoir for low pathogenic avian influenza viruses; however, relatively little is known about their movement ecology in regions where HPAI H5N1 outbreaks regularly occur. We studied movements of the ruddy shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea), a wild migratory waterAuthorsJohn Y. Takekawa, Diann J. Prosser, Bridget M. Collins, David C. Douglas, William M. Perry, Yan Baoping, Ze Luo, Yuansheng Hou, Fumin Lei, Tianxian Li, Yongdong Li, Scott H. NewmanMapping risk of avian influenza transmission at the interface of domestic poultry and wild birds
Emergence of avian influenza viruses with high lethality to humans, such as the currently circulating highly pathogenic A(H5N1) (emerged in 1996) and A(H7N9) cause serious concern for the global economic and public health sectors. Understanding the spatial and temporal interface between wild and domestic populations, from which these viruses emerge, is fundamental to taking action. This informatioAuthorsDiann J. Prosser, Laura L. Hungerford, R. Michael Erwin, Mary Ann Ottinger, John Y. Takekawa, Erle C. EllisEco-virological approach for assessing the role of wild birds in the spread of avian influenza H5N1 along the central Asian flyway
A unique pattern of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 outbreaks has emerged along the Central Asia Flyway, where infection of wild birds has been reported with steady frequency since 2005. We assessed the potential for two hosts of HPAI H5N1, the bar-headed goose (Anser indicus) and ruddy shelduck (Tadorna tadorna), to act as agents for virus dispersal along this ‘thoroughfare’. We useAuthorsScott H. Newman, Nichola J. Hill, Kyle A. Spragens, Daniel Janies, Igor O. Voronkin, Diann J. Prosser, Baoping Yan, Fumin Lei, Nyambayar Batbayar, Tseveenmyadag Natsagdorj, Charles M. Bishop, Patrick J. Butler, Martin Wikelski, Sivananinthaperumal Balachandran, Taej Mundkur, David C. Douglas, John Y. TakekawaSpatial distribution and risk factors of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 in China
Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 was first encountered in 1996 in Guangdong province (China) and started spreading throughout Asia and the western Palearctic in 2004–2006. Compared to several other countries where the HPAI H5N1 distribution has been studied in some detail, little is known about the environmental correlates of the HPAI H5N1 distribution in China. HPAI H5N1 clinical disAuthorsVincent Martin, Dirk U. Pfeiffer, Xiaoyan Zhou, Xiangming Xiao, Diann J. Prosser, Fusheng Guo, Marius GilbertModelling the distribution of chickens, ducks, and geese in China
Global concerns over the emergence of zoonotic pandemics emphasize the need for high-resolution population distribution mapping and spatial modelling. Ongoing efforts to model disease risk in China have been hindered by a lack of available species level distribution maps for poultry. The goal of this study was to develop 1 km resolution population density models for China's chickens, ducks, and geAuthorsDiann J. Prosser, Junxi Wu, Erie C. Ellis, Fred Gale, Thomas P. Van Boeckel, William Wint, Tim Robinson, Xiangming Xiao, Marius Gilbert - Web Tools
- Partners
Below are partners associated with this project.