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PLoS Pathogens. Influenza A Virus Migration and Persistence in North American Wild Birds
[Source: PLoS Pathogens, full page: (LINK). Abstract, edited.]
Research Article
Influenza A Virus Migration and Persistence in North American Wild Birds
Justin Bahl, Scott Krauss, Denise K?hnert, Mathieu Fourment, Garnet Raven, S. Paul Pryor, Lawrence J. Niles, Angela Danner, David Walker, Ian H. Mendenhall, Yvonne C. F. Su, Vivien G. Dugan, Rebecca A. Halpin, Timothy B. Stockwell, Richard J. Webby, David E. Wentworth, Alexei J. Drummond, Gavin J. D. Smith, Robert G. Webster
Abstract
Wild birds have been implicated in the emergence of human and livestock influenza. The successful prediction of viral spread and disease emergence, as well as formulation of preparedness plans have been hampered by a critical lack of knowledge of viral movements between different host populations. The patterns of viral spread and subsequent risk posed by wild bird viruses therefore remain unpredictable. Here we analyze genomic data, including 287 newly sequenced avian influenza A virus (AIV) samples isolated over a 34-year period of continuous systematic surveillance of North American migratory birds. We use a Bayesian statistical framework to test hypotheses of viral migration, population structure and patterns of genetic reassortment. Our results reveal that despite the high prevalence of Charadriiformes infected in Delaware Bay this host population does not appear to significantly contribute to the North American AIV diversity sampled in Anseriformes. In contrast, influenza viruses sampled from Anseriformes in Alberta are representative of the AIV diversity circulating in North American Anseriformes. While AIV may be restricted to specific migratory flyways over short time frames, our large-scale analysis showed that the long-term persistence of AIV was independent of bird flyways with migration between populations throughout North America. Analysis of long-term surveillance data provides vital insights to develop appropriately informed predictive models critical for pandemic preparedness and livestock protection.
Author Summary
Despite continuous virological surveillance (1976?2009) in wild waterfowl (Anseriformes) and shorebirds (Charadriiformes), the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of avian influenza A virus (AIV) in these hosts is poorly understood. Comparative genomic analysis of AIV data revealed that the high prevalence of Charadriiformes infected in Delaware Bay is a reservoir of AIV that is phylogenetically distinct from AIV sampled from most North American Anseriformes. In contrast, influenza viruses sampled from Anseriformes in Alberta are representative of the remaining AIV diversity sampled across North America. While AIV may be restricted to specific migratory flyways over short time frames, our large-scale analysis showed that this population genetic structure was transient and the long-term persistence of AIV was independent of bird flyways. These results suggest an introduced virus lineage may initially be restricted to one flyway, but migration to a major congregation site such as Alberta could occur followed by subsequent spread across flyways. These generalized predictions for virus movement will be critical to assess the associated risk for widespread diffusion and inform surveillance for pandemic preparedness.
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Citation: Bahl J, Krauss S, K?hnert D, Fourment M, Raven G, et al. (2013) Influenza A Virus Migration and Persistence in North American Wild Birds. PLoS Pathog 9(8): e1003570. doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1003570
Editor: Raul Andino, University of California San Francisco, United States of America
Received: June 25, 2012; Accepted: June 18, 2013; Published: August 29, 2013
Copyright: ? 2013 Bahl et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Funding: This study was supported by contracts HHSN266200700005C, and HHSN272200900007 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services. JB and GJDS are supported by the Duke?NUS Signature Research Program funded by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore, and the Ministry of Health, Singapore. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
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Research Article
Influenza A Virus Migration and Persistence in North American Wild Birds
Justin Bahl, Scott Krauss, Denise K?hnert, Mathieu Fourment, Garnet Raven, S. Paul Pryor, Lawrence J. Niles, Angela Danner, David Walker, Ian H. Mendenhall, Yvonne C. F. Su, Vivien G. Dugan, Rebecca A. Halpin, Timothy B. Stockwell, Richard J. Webby, David E. Wentworth, Alexei J. Drummond, Gavin J. D. Smith, Robert G. Webster
Abstract
Wild birds have been implicated in the emergence of human and livestock influenza. The successful prediction of viral spread and disease emergence, as well as formulation of preparedness plans have been hampered by a critical lack of knowledge of viral movements between different host populations. The patterns of viral spread and subsequent risk posed by wild bird viruses therefore remain unpredictable. Here we analyze genomic data, including 287 newly sequenced avian influenza A virus (AIV) samples isolated over a 34-year period of continuous systematic surveillance of North American migratory birds. We use a Bayesian statistical framework to test hypotheses of viral migration, population structure and patterns of genetic reassortment. Our results reveal that despite the high prevalence of Charadriiformes infected in Delaware Bay this host population does not appear to significantly contribute to the North American AIV diversity sampled in Anseriformes. In contrast, influenza viruses sampled from Anseriformes in Alberta are representative of the AIV diversity circulating in North American Anseriformes. While AIV may be restricted to specific migratory flyways over short time frames, our large-scale analysis showed that the long-term persistence of AIV was independent of bird flyways with migration between populations throughout North America. Analysis of long-term surveillance data provides vital insights to develop appropriately informed predictive models critical for pandemic preparedness and livestock protection.
Author Summary
Despite continuous virological surveillance (1976?2009) in wild waterfowl (Anseriformes) and shorebirds (Charadriiformes), the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of avian influenza A virus (AIV) in these hosts is poorly understood. Comparative genomic analysis of AIV data revealed that the high prevalence of Charadriiformes infected in Delaware Bay is a reservoir of AIV that is phylogenetically distinct from AIV sampled from most North American Anseriformes. In contrast, influenza viruses sampled from Anseriformes in Alberta are representative of the remaining AIV diversity sampled across North America. While AIV may be restricted to specific migratory flyways over short time frames, our large-scale analysis showed that this population genetic structure was transient and the long-term persistence of AIV was independent of bird flyways. These results suggest an introduced virus lineage may initially be restricted to one flyway, but migration to a major congregation site such as Alberta could occur followed by subsequent spread across flyways. These generalized predictions for virus movement will be critical to assess the associated risk for widespread diffusion and inform surveillance for pandemic preparedness.
____
Citation: Bahl J, Krauss S, K?hnert D, Fourment M, Raven G, et al. (2013) Influenza A Virus Migration and Persistence in North American Wild Birds. PLoS Pathog 9(8): e1003570. doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1003570
Editor: Raul Andino, University of California San Francisco, United States of America
Received: June 25, 2012; Accepted: June 18, 2013; Published: August 29, 2013
Copyright: ? 2013 Bahl et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Funding: This study was supported by contracts HHSN266200700005C, and HHSN272200900007 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services. JB and GJDS are supported by the Duke?NUS Signature Research Program funded by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore, and the Ministry of Health, Singapore. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
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