Wild bird trade at live poultry markets potentiates risks of avian influenza virus introduction in Iran

Yeganeh Mahfoozi,Jacqueline King,Hossein Hosseini,Shabnam Aghajantabar,Zahra Ziafati Kafi,Leila Aghaiyan,Anne Pohlmann,Martin Beer,Amir Modirihamedan,Arash Ghalyanchilangeroudi,Timm Harder,Annika Graaf

doi:10.1080/20008686.2021.1992083

Abstract

ABSTRACT Wild aquatic birds are the main natural host reservoir of avian influenza viruses (AIV). Migratory aquatic birds can translocate AI viruses over wide geographic distances. AIV may be transmitted reciprocally at the wild bird–poultry interface, increasing viral variability and potentially driving the zoonotic potential of these viruses. A cross-sectional study on AIV and several further avian viral pathogens conducted in 396 trapped migratory aquatic birds traded at live bird markets (LBM) in northern Iran identified 11 AIV-positive cases. The 10 identified H9N2 viral sequences fell into wild bird H9 lineage Y439; in addition, an H10N3 virus of Eurasian lineage was detected. Ten samples contained low viral loads of avian coronavirus but could not be further characterized. Although traditional trading of live-trapped wild birds provides income for hunters, particularly during fall migration periods, it increases the risk of introducing new AIV strains from the natural reservoir to poultry kept at LBMs and, potentially, to traders and customers. Banning these birds from poultry trading lines would lower such risks considerably.

Highlights

Live bird markets (LBMs) provide freshly slaughtered poultry meat, essential for providing high-qual ity animal protein to rural and urban populations in Iran as well as in many further Middle East, Asian, and African countries [1]
This study primarily focused on avian influenza viruses (AIV) infections in wild birds traded in live bird markets in the northern provinces of Iran
Phylogenetic analyses revealed that H9 HA and N2 NA genes clustered within the Y439, aka Eurasian wild bird, lineage (HA open reading frame: Figure 1; NA: Supplemental Figure 1(e))

Summary

Introduction

Live bird markets (LBMs) provide freshly slaughtered poultry meat, essential for providing high-qual ity animal protein to rural and urban populations in Iran as well as in many further Middle East, Asian, and African countries [1]. In the case of sub types H5 and H7, replication in gallinaceous poultry is associated with a risk of a spontaneous mutation affecting the sequence encoding the endoproteolytic cleavage site of the hemagglutinin (HA) protein This causes a shift towards a high pathogenicity (HP) phenotype, and such variants are capable of systemic infection correlated with high mortality [6,7]. The spillback of such HPAIV from poultry into wild bird populations may lead to the mobilization of these viruses with subsequent spread along migratory flyways. Trading connections and spread with migratory wild birds continue to invoke epidemic waves of gs/GD HPAIV descendants in European, African, and North American countries [8]

Methods

Results

Conclusion