Emerging Avian Disease. Studies in Avian Biology No. 42

Abstract

The link between human, animal, and environmental health is the cornerstone of the One Health concept, in which the health of each of these entities is inextricably linked. The One Health concept has gained extensive recognition with the recent outbreaks of zoonotic diseases, including the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 strain that moved across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and parts of Africa in the past 15 years, and the 1999 outbreak of West Nile virus (WNV) that rapidly spread across the United States. The chapters in the book Emerging Avian Disease cover disease topics that are of current interest and importance to birds and humans. While not every disease covered in this book has direct zoonotic potential, related organisms do cause disease in humans (e.g., avian malaria versus human malaria, both caused by Plasmodium spp.). The study of disease transmission, population effects, and factors that affect the host–organism dynamics have direct relevance to furthering our understanding of wildlife diseases and improving our preparation and responses to new or emerging disease outbreaks, some of which will have public health significance. The eight chapters in this book are divided into three parts. Part 1 is Environmental and Behavioral Aspects of Transmission. In Chapter 1, ‘‘Ecological Associations of West Nile Virus and Avian Hosts in an Arid Environment,’’ the authors model the effects of species, age, sex, season, year, residency (breeding or migratory) status, and habitat (urban, agricultural, desert, and riparian habitats in southern New Mexico) on prevalence of WNV antibodies in multiple species of wild birds to gain a better understanding of the relationship between exposure to WNV and avian life history traits. Birds in desert habitats had the lowest antibody prevalence and highest species diversity, while the opposite was found in birds in agricultural habitats. Higher abundance of competent host species (those birds that mount and maintain a measureable antibody response) and habitat suitable for mosquito breeding likely contributed to the results in agricultural areas. In Chapter 2, ‘‘Trans-Atlantic Movement of the Spirochete Borrelia garinii: The Role of Ticks and Their Seabird Hosts,’’ the authors investigate the presence of the spirochete B. garinii in ticks collected from nesting sea bird colonies in the Atlantic northeast; B. garinii is a genospecies closely related to B. burgdorferi sensu lato, which causes Lyme borreliosis in humans and other animals. With genetic testing of B. garinii, the isolates had similarity to strains collected in Western Europe, leading the authors to hypothesize possible models for disease transmission via tick-infested sea birds moving between Europe and the northeast Atlantic region. In Chapter 3, ‘‘Parasitism in the Endemic Galapagos Dove (Zenaida galpagoensis) and its Relation to Host Genetic Diversity and Immune Response,’’ the authors evaluate genetic diversity, immune response, and body condition in the Galapagos dove in six island populations, relative to parasitism by the avian blood parasite Haemoproteus multipigmentatus and two species of chewing lice (Columbicola macrourae, Physconelloides galapagensis). Reduced parasite loads were associated with increased genetic diversity and improved body condition, and the presence of blood parasites increased immune system activation, as measured by leukocyte counts. Part 2 is Population Level Impacts, and Monitoring, Detection. In Chapter 4, ‘‘Prevalence and Effects of West Nile BOOK REVIEWS