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PLoS ONE. North Atlantic Migratory Bird Flyways Provide Routes for Intercontinental Movement of Avian Influenza Viruses

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  • PLoS ONE. North Atlantic Migratory Bird Flyways Provide Routes for Intercontinental Movement of Avian Influenza Viruses

    [Source: PLoS ONE, full page: (LINK). Abstract, edited.]


    Open Access / Peer-Reviewed / Research Article

    North Atlantic Migratory Bird Flyways Provide Routes for Intercontinental Movement of Avian Influenza Viruses

    Robert J. Dusek, Gunnar T. Hallgrimsson, Hon S. Ip, J?n E. J?nsson, Srinand Sreevatsan, Sean W. Nashold, Joshua L. TeSlaa, Shinichiro Enomoto, Rebecca A. Halpin, Xudong Lin, Nadia Fedorova, Timothy B. Stockwell, Vivien G. Dugan, [ ... ], David E. Wentworth, Jeffrey S. Hall

    Published: March 19, 2014 / DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0092075


    Abstract

    Avian influenza virus (AIV) in wild birds has been of increasing interest over the last decade due to the emergence of AIVs that cause significant disease and mortality in both poultry and humans. While research clearly demonstrates that AIVs can move across the Pacific or Atlantic Ocean, there has been no data to support the mechanism of how this occurs. In spring and autumn of 2010 and autumn of 2011 we obtained cloacal swab samples from 1078 waterfowl, gulls, and shorebirds of various species in southwest and west Iceland and tested them for AIV. From these, we isolated and fully sequenced the genomes of 29 AIVs from wild caught gulls (Charadriiformes) and waterfowl (Anseriformes) in Iceland. We detected viruses that were entirely (8 of 8 genomic segments) of American lineage, viruses that were entirely of Eurasian lineage, and viruses with mixed American-Eurasian lineage. Prior to this work only 2 AIVs had been reported from wild birds in Iceland and only the sequence from one segment was available in GenBank. This is the first report of finding AIVs of entirely American lineage and Eurasian lineage, as well as reassortant viruses, together in the same geographic location. Our study demonstrates the importance of the North Atlantic as a corridor for the movement of AIVs between Europe and North America.
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    Citation: Dusek RJ, Hallgrimsson GT, Ip HS, J?nsson JE, Sreevatsan S, et al. (2014) North Atlantic Migratory Bird Flyways Provide Routes for Intercontinental Movement of Avian Influenza Viruses. PLoS ONE 9(3): e92075. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0092075

    Editor: Dhanasekaran Vijaykrishna, Duke-NUS Gradute Medical School, Singapore

    Received: October 18, 2013; Accepted: February 18, 2014; Published: March 19, 2014

    This is an open-access article, free of all copyright, and may be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, modified, built upon, or otherwise used by anyone for any lawful purpose. The work is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication.

    Funding: This work has been funded by the United States Geological Service and with federal funds from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Health and Human Services under Contract Nos. HHSN266200700007C and HHSN272200900007C. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH. 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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  • #2
    Re: PLoS ONE. North Atlantic Migratory Bird Flyways Provide Routes for Intercontinental Movement of Avian Influenza Viruses

    [Source: USGS, full page: (LINK).]


    North Atlantic May Be a New Route for Spread of Avian Flu to North America

    Released: 3/19/2014 5:10:00 PM / Contact Information: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, Office of Communications and Publishing, 12201 Sunrise Valley Dr, MS 119, Reston, VA 20192, Gail Moede Rogall, Phone: 608-270-2438 , Marisa Lubeck, Phone: 303-202-4765
    _____

    The North Atlantic region is a newly discovered important pathway for avian influenza to move between Europe and North America, according to a U.S. Geological Survey report published today.

    USGS scientists and Icelandic partners found avian flu viruses from North America and Europe in migratory birds in Iceland, demonstrating that the North Atlantic is as significant as the North Pacific in being a melting pot for birds and avian flu. A great number of wild birds from Europe and North America congregate and mix in Iceland's wetlands during migration, where infected birds could transmit avian flu viruses to healthy birds from either location.

    By crossing the Atlantic Ocean this way, avian flu viruses from Europe could eventually be transported to the United States. This commingling could also lead to the evolution of new influenza viruses. These findings are critical for proper surveillance and monitoring of flu viruses, including the H5N1 avian influenza that can infect humans.

    "None of the avian flu viruses found in our study are considered harmful to humans," said Robert Dusek, USGS scientist and lead author of the study. "However, the results suggest that Iceland is an important location for the study of avian flu and is worthy of special attention and monitoring."

    The study also highlighted the new finding that gulls play an important role in moving avian flu viruses across the North Atlantic.

    During the spring and autumn of 2010 and autumn of 2011, the USGS researchers and Icelandic partners collected avian influenza viruses from gulls and waterfowl in southwest and west Iceland (see map). By studying the virus? genomes ? an organism?s hereditary information ? the researchers found that some viruses came from Eurasia and some originated in North America. They also found viruses with mixed American-Eurasian lineages.

    "For the first time, avian influenza viruses from both Eurasia and North America were documented at the same location and time," said Jeffrey Hall, USGS co-author and principal investigator on this study. "Viruses are continually evolving, and this mixing of viral strains sets the stage for new types of avian flu to develop."

    The partners on the new study include the Southwest Iceland Nature Research Institute, the University of Iceland's Snaefellsnes Research Centre, the University of Minnesota and the J. Craig Venter Institute. This study was funded by the USGS and the National Institute of Health?s Centers of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance.

    The report was published today in the journal PLOS ONE and is available online.

    For more information on avian influenza research, please visit the USGS National Wildlife Health Center website.


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