Spatio-temporal dynamics and drivers of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 in Chile
- PMID: 38756514
- PMCID: PMC11096463
- DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1387040
Spatio-temporal dynamics and drivers of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 in Chile
Abstract
Introduction: Highly pathogenic avian influenza A H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b (hereafter H5N1) is causing vast impacts on biodiversity and poultry around the globe. In Chile, lethal H5N1 cases have been reported in a wide range of wild bird species, marine mammals, backyard and industrial poultry, and humans. This study describes the spatio-temporal patterns of the current epizootic of H5N1 in Chile and test drivers that could be associated with outbreak occurrence.
Methods: We used H5N1 cases reported by the Chilean National Animal Health Authority from 5 December 2022 to 5 April 2023. These included wild bird cases confirmed through an avian influenza-specific real-time reverse transcription PCR assay (RT-qPCR), obtained from passive and active surveillance. Data were analyzed to detect the presence of H5N1 clusters under space-time permutation probability modeling, the association of H5N1 with distance and days since the first outbreak through linear regression, and the correlation of H5N1 presence with a number of ecological and anthropogenic variables using general linear modeling.
Results: From 445 H5N1 identified outbreaks involving 613 individual cases in wild birds, a consistent wave-like spread of H5N1 from north to south was identified, which may help predict hotspots of outbreak risk. For instance, seven statistically significant clusters were identified in central and northern Chile, where poultry production and wildlife mortality are concentrated. The presence of outbreaks was correlated with landscape-scale variables, notably temperature range, bird richness, and human footprint.
Discussion: In less than a year, H5N1 has been associated with the unusual mortality of >100,000 individuals of wild animals in Chile, mainly coastal birds and marine mammals. It is urgent that scientists, the poultry sector, local communities, and national health authorities co-design and implement science-based measures from a One Health perspective to avoid further H5N1 spillover from wildlife to domestic animals and humans, including rapid removal and proper disposal of wild dead animals and the closure of public areas (e.g., beaches) reporting high wildlife mortalities.
Keywords: HPAI; bird flu; epidemiology; one health; pelicans; poultry.
Copyright © 2024 Azat, Alvarado-Rybak, Aguilera and Benavides.
Conflict of interest statement
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
Figures
Similar articles
-
Evolution and Current Status of Influenza A Virus in Chile: A Review.Pathogens. 2023 Oct 17;12(10):1252. doi: 10.3390/pathogens12101252. Pathogens. 2023. PMID: 37887768 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Detection and phylogenetic analysis of highly pathogenic A/H5N1 avian influenza clade 2.3.4.4b virus in Chile, 2022.Emerg Microbes Infect. 2023 Dec;12(2):2220569. doi: 10.1080/22221751.2023.2220569. Emerg Microbes Infect. 2023. PMID: 37254689 Free PMC article.
-
Avian influenza (H5N1) virus, epidemiology and its effects on backyard poultry in Indonesia: a review.F1000Res. 2022 Nov 15;11:1321. doi: 10.12688/f1000research.125878.2. eCollection 2022. F1000Res. 2022. PMID: 36845324 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Multiple Introductions of Reassorted Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5Nx Viruses Clade 2.3.4.4b Causing Outbreaks in Wild Birds and Poultry in The Netherlands, 2020-2021.Microbiol Spectr. 2022 Apr 27;10(2):e0249921. doi: 10.1128/spectrum.02499-21. Epub 2022 Mar 14. Microbiol Spectr. 2022. PMID: 35286149 Free PMC article.
-
The Landscape Epidemiology of Seasonal Clustering of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N1) in Domestic Poultry in Africa, Europe and Asia.Transbound Emerg Dis. 2017 Oct;64(5):1465-1478. doi: 10.1111/tbed.12537. Epub 2016 Jun 16. Transbound Emerg Dis. 2017. PMID: 27311569
References
-
- World Organization for Animal Health (2023) World animal health information system. Available at: https://wahis.woah.org/#/home (Accessed November 7, 2023).
Grants and funding
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Miscellaneous