J Infect Dis. Relationship between domestic and wild birds in live poultry market and a novel human H7N9 virus in China

[Giuseppe]

[Source: Journal of Infectious Diseases, full page: (LINK). Abstract, edited.]


Relationship between domestic and wild birds in live poultry market and a novel human H7N9 virus in China


Chengmin Wang 1,*, Jing Wang 2,*, Wen Su 1, Shanshan Gao 1, Jing Luo 1, Min Zhang 1, Li Xie 2,*, Shelan Liu 3, Xiaodong Liu 4, Yu Chen 4, Yaxiong Jia 4, Hong Zhang 1, Hua Ding 2 and Hongxuan He 1,#?

Author Affiliations: <SUP>1</SUP>National Research Center For Wildlife Born Diseases, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China <SUP>2</SUP>Department of Infectious Diseases, Hangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province 310021, China <SUP>3</SUP>Department of Infectious Diseases, Zhejiang Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province 310051, China <SUP>4</SUP>Beijing animal husbandry and veterinary station, Beijing 100101,China

?Corresponding author (E-mail: hehx@ioz.ac.cn)

* Contributed equally to this work

# Footnotes: This work was supported by grants from the China Agriculture Research System Poultry-related Science and Technology Innovation Team of Peking (CARS-PSTP) and by the knowledge innovation program of the Chinese academy of sciences, grant (KSCX2-EW-J-2). There is no conflict of interest.


Abstract

To trace the source of the avian H7N9 viruses, we collected 99 samples from 4 live poultry markets and the family farms of 3 patients in Hangzhou city of Zhejiang province, China. We found almost all positive samples came from chickens and ducks in live poultry markets. These results strongly suggest that the live poultry markets are the major source of recent human infections with H7N9 in Hangzhou city, Zhejiang province of China. Therefore, control measures are needed, not only in the domestic bird population, but also in the live poultry markets to reduce human H7N9 infection risk.


Received June 2, 2013. Revision received June 28, 2013. Accepted July 1, 2013.

? The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved.

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[Vibrant62]

Re: J Infect Dis. Relationship between domestic and wild birds in live poultry market and a novel human H7N9 virus in China

This begs the question, if birds on farms are not infected, how are birds at live markets becoming so? This is not a location where wild birds would frequent (unless perhaps pidgeons?)

 

[Giuseppe]

Re: J Infect Dis. Relationship between domestic and wild birds in live poultry market and a novel human H7N9 virus in China

It continues to be hard to believe that large industrial poultry farms are H7N9 free, as well as from other avian influenza viruses, namely low and high pathogenic strain of H5/H7/H9. The true incidence of these viruses in China poultry farmed stock is not know, and the impact of mass animal vaccination in circulating strains too.

Since this industrial compartment is clearly pivotal in Chinese economy and societal sustain, these information hardly will be release to the public.

Nonetheless, as demonstrated here in Italy - where industrial farming is highly developed - even a low pathogenic H7 strain may circulate unnoticed for a while until it becomes highly pathogenic and starts to kill a number of chickens. Premise-to-premise transmission is readily achieved even when strictly biosecurity is applied.

Further human H7N9 infections in China are therefore anticipated.
GM