Abstract
BackgroundSeveral outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) caused by influenza A virus of subtype H5N8 have been reported in wild birds and poultry in Europe during autumn 2020. Norway is one of the few countries in Europe that had not previously detected HPAI virus, despite widespread active monitoring of both domestic and wild birds since 2005.ResultsWe report detection of HPAI virus subtype H5N8 in a wild pink-footed goose (Anser brachyrhynchus), and several other geese, ducks and a gull, from south-western Norway in November and December 2020. Despite previous reports of low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI), this constitutes the first detections of HPAI in Norway.ConclusionsThe mode of introduction is unclear, but a northward migration of infected geese or gulls from Denmark or the Netherlands during the autumn of 2020 is currently our main hypothesis for the introduction of HPAI to Norway. The presence of HPAI in wild birds constitutes a new, and ongoing, threat to the Norwegian poultry industry, and compliance with the improved biosecurity measures on poultry farms should therefore be ensured. [MK1]Finally, although HPAI of subtype H5N8 has been reported to have very low zoonotic potential, this is a reminder that HPAI with greater zoonotic potential in wild birds may pose a threat in the future. [MK1]Updated with a sentence emphasizing the risk HPAI pose to poultry farms, both in the and in the Conclusion-section in main text, as suggested by Reviewer 1 (#7).
Highlights
Several outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) caused by influenza A virus of subtype H5N8 have been reported in wild birds and poultry in Europe during autumn 2020
Already on November 19th 2020, prior to the first detection of HPAI, a request for increased vigilance to report sick or dead wild birds had been communicated to the public and bird watchers, through the national media and on the websites of the Norwegian Food Safety Authority (NFSA) and Norwegian Veterinary Institute (NVI). This increased awareness was crucial for the notification of the first HPAI-positive, pink-footed goose to the NFSA, since HPAI could not be ruled out by the person who found the diseased bird
As an immediate response to the detection of HPAI in Norway, the NFSA introduced a high-risk area in line with Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2018/1136 of August 10th 2018 on risk mitigation and reinforced biosecurity measures and early detection systems in relation to the risks posed by wild birds for the transmission of highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses to poultry
Summary
Several outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) caused by influenza A virus of subtype H5N8 have been reported in wild birds and poultry in Europe during autumn 2020. Norway is one of the few countries in Europe that had not previously detected HPAI virus, despite widespread active monitoring of both domestic and wild birds since 2005. Several outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) have affected domestic poultry and wild birds in Europe in recent years, and Influenza A virus of subtypes H5N1 and H5N8 have predominated [2]. All influenza A positive samples from the monitoring program are tested for the presence of subtype H5 and H7. The sample was not tested for other neuraminidase subtypes, as this is not specified in the mandate of the active monitoring program. Sequencing of the HA genes identified the virus as LPAI, which precludes the possible presence of HPAI H5N8 as early as 2019
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