Abstract
Avian influenza viruses (AIVs) are carried by wild migratory waterfowl across migratory flyways. To determine the strains of circulating AIVs that may pose a risk to poultry and humans, regular surveillance studies must be performed. Here, we report the surveillance of circulating AIVs in South Korea during the winter seasons of 2009–2013. A total of 126 AIVs were isolated from 7942 fecal samples from wild migratory birds, with a total isolation rate of 1.59%. H1‒H7 and H9‒H11 hemagglutinin (HA) subtypes, and N1‒N3, N5, and N7‒N9 neuraminidase (NA) subtypes were successfully isolated, with H6 and N2 as the most predominant HA and NA subtypes, respectively. Sequence identity search showed that the HA and NA genes of the isolates were highly similar to those of low-pathogenicity influenza strains from the East Asian-Australasian flyway. No match was found for the HA genes of high-pathogenicity influenza strains. Thus, the AIV strains circulating in wild migratory birds from 2009 to 2013 in South Korea likely had low pathogenicity. Continuous surveillance studies such as this one must be performed to identify potential precursors of influenza viruses that may threaten animal and human health.
Highlights
Avian influenza viruses (AIVs) are perpetuated in populations of wild aquatic birds, which are thought to be the primary reservoir or natural hosts of A IVs1,2
During the winter seasons of 2009‒2013, a total of 7942 wild bird fecal samples were collected from wild migratory bird habitats in South Korea (Fig. 1a)
highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) isolates have been obtained from wildfowl in these sites, and these locations are adjacent to sites of known HPAI outbreaks among poultry in South Korea, making these sites ideal for surveillance[10]
Summary
Avian influenza viruses (AIVs) are perpetuated in populations of wild aquatic birds, which are thought to be the primary reservoir or natural hosts of A IVs1,2. Wild aquatic birds typically carry low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI), transmission and adaptation of these viruses to other bird species (e.g., domestic fowl) and to non-avian species (i.e., mammals) may result in respiratory d isease[4]. Poultry in farms infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses are typically culled to prevent further spread of the virus, resulting in large agricultural and economic losses to affected locations[6]. Since it is virtually impossible to prevent the transmission of influenza A virus from wildfowl to domestic and wild animals, continuous surveillance of wild birds must be conducted to monitor and detect strains that have the potential to cause disease in both animals and humans. We isolated fecal samples from migratory bird stopover sites in South Korea, which is part of the East Asian-Australasian flyway (EAAF), and performed nucleotide sequence analysis to determine the distribution of AIVs among migratory wildfowl in South Korea
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