Emerg Infect Dis


. 2022 Mar 18;28(5).
doi: 10.3201/eid2805.220318. Online ahead of print.
Intercontinental Movement of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Clade 2.3.4.4 Virus to the United States, 2021

Sarah N Bevins, Susan A Shriner, James C Cumbee Jr, Krista E Dilione, Kelly E Douglass, Jeremy W Ellis, Mary Lea Killian, Mia K Torchetti, Julianna B Lenoch

Abstract

We detected Eurasian-origin highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) virus belonging to the Gs/GD lineage, clade 2.3.4.4b, in wild waterfowl in 2 Atlantic coastal states in the United States. Bird banding data showed widespread movement of waterfowl within the Atlantic Flyway and between neighboring flyways and northern breeding grounds.

Keywords: United States; clade 2.3.4.4; dispersal; highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) virus; influenza; influenza viruses; intercontinental movement; respiratory infections; viruses; wild birds; zoonoses.