Emerg Infect Dis. Ducks as Sentinels for Avian Influenza in Wild Birds

[Giuseppe]

Ducks as Sentinels for Avian Influenza in Wild Birds (Emerg Infect Dis, abstract, edited)

[Source Full Free Document: LINK. EDITED.]

DOI: 10.3201/eid1510.090439

Suggested citation for this article: Globig A, Baumer A, Revilla-Fern?ndez S, Beer M, Wodak E, Fink M, et al. Ducks as sentinels for avian influenza in wild birds. Emerg Infect Dis. 2009 Oct; [Epub ahead of print]

Ducks as Sentinels for Avian Influenza in Wild Birds

Anja Globig, Anette Baumer, Sandra Revilla-Fern?ndez, Martin Beer, Eveline Wodak, Maria Fink, Norbert Greber, Timm C. Harder, Hendrik Wilking, Iris Brunhart, Doris Matthes, Ulf Kraatz, Peter Strunk, Wolfgang Fiedler, Sasan R. Fereidouni, Christoph Staubach, Franz J. Conraths, Chris Griot, Thomas C. Mettenleiter, and Katharina D.C. St?rk

Author affiliations: Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany (A. Globig, M. Beer, T.C. Harder, U. Kraatz, P. Strunk, S.R. Fereidouni, T.C. Mettenleiter); Institute of Virology and Immunoprophylaxis, Mittelh?usern, Switzerland (A. Baumer, C. Griot); Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety, M?dling, Austria (S. Revilla-Fern?ndez, E. Wodak, M. Fink); State of Vorarlberg Veterinary Directorate, Vorarlberg, Austria (N. Greber); Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Wusterhausen, Germany (H. Wilking, C. Staubach, F.J. Conraths); Bird Ringing Centre, Radolfzell, Germany (D. Matthes, W. Fiedler); Federal Veterinary Office, Bern, Switzerland (I. Brunhart); and Royal Veterinary College, London, UK (K.D.C. St?rk)


To determine the effectiveness of mallards as sentinels for avian influenza virus (AIV) infection, we placed mallards in contact with wild birds at resting sites in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Infections of sentinel birds with different AIV subtypes confirmed the value of such surveillance for AIV monitoring.

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[Sally Furniss]

Re: Emerg Infect Dis. Ducks as Sentinels for Avian Influenza in Wild Birds

Conclusions

In practice, AIV surveillance of live wild birds is difficult and involves substantial labor and costs, particularly for purchase and maintenance of trapping equipment, salary of trapping staff, and laboratory analysis. Trapping of wild birds also can be biased by season and by bird species that are easier to catch. Low proportions of AIV-positive results (<3%) indicate the low cost:benefit ratio of surveillance based on trapping wild birds (2). In contrast, our findings demonstrate that the use of sentinel birds in regions with substantial wild bird populations achieves a high rate of AIV detection and, therefore, is an efficient supplement to active AIV monitoring. The detection of different AIVs among the sentinel ducks reflects the natural ecology of AIV at discrete locations. Recently, all duck species, especially dabbling ducks, have been assessed as high-risk species for possibly contributing to the transmission of HPAIV (H5N1) (15). Therefore, mallards as sentinel species ensure a high probability of detecting AIV if kept in direct contact with wild water birds. In addition, sites for sentinel stations need to be selected carefully to achieve spatial representation.............