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A national study of US bird banders for evidence of avian influenza virus infections

tetano

Editor, Senior Moderator
J Clin Virol. 2011 Apr 27. [Epub ahead of print]
A national study of US bird banders for evidence of avian influenza virus infections.
Gray GC, Ferguson DD, Lowther PE, Heil GL, Friary JA.
Source

Emerging Pathogens Institute and College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States.
Abstract
BACKGROUND:

Previously we have found that Midwestern US wildlife biologists, poultry farmers, veterinarians, and duck hunters have had evidence of avian influenza virus infections (AIVs).
OBJECTIVES:

We sought to evaluate a national sample of US bird banders for previous evidence of AIV infection.
STUDY DESIGN:

Controlled, cross-sectional serological survey.
RESULTS:

In 2009 and 2010 we enrolled 157 registered bird banders from 40 US states and compared their enrollment data and serological results with 78 adult age-group matched controls from Iowa. On average, the bird banders had 15 years of wild bird exposure, banded 20 days per year, worked chiefly in 1 of the 4 North American flyways, and banded 300 individual birds of 5 different species per season. While handling birds, only 15% of banders reported wearing gloves. Three bird banders and 1 control had evidence of previous infection (1 AIV each) with A/BWTE/Ohio/07/495762-6(H7N3), A/Ty/MN/38391-6/95(H9N2) or A/CK/NJ/7290-2/95(H11N3) by microneutralization assay. There was no evidence of previous infection with a representative sample of H4, H5, H6, H8, or H10 AIVs. Participants were followed for influenza-like-illness for a median of 7 months and 4 (3 bird banders) submitted self-collected eye, nasal, and throat influenza-like-illness swab specimens, 1 of which collected in November of 2009, yielded a pandemic H1N1 influenza A virus.
CONCLUSION:

Despite reports of conjunctivitis and upper respiratory symptoms while bird banding, we found sparse evidence that US bird banders had infections with AIVs.

Copyright ? 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

PMID:
21530384
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21530384
 
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