Avian Influenza Virus Surveillance in High Arctic Breeding Geese, Greenland

• Published in: Avian Diseases
• Main Authors: Nicolas Gaidet, India Leclercq, Christophe Batéjat, Quentin Grassin, Tanguy Daufresne, Jean-Claude Manuguerra
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: American Association of Avian Pathologists 2018
• Subjects: Arctic; Greenland; Anser brachyrhynchus; Branta leucopsis
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1637/11793-010418-ResNote.1

The connectedness in Arctic regions between migratory waterbird populations originating from different continents and the potential for virus exchange at their shared Arctic breeding ground point to the need to explore the largely unstudied circumpolar circulation of avian influenza viruses (AIV). We here report the investigation of AIV in wild birds and lakes in a high Arctic area of Northeast Greenland. No AIV could be detected in the fecal, feather, and water samples collected from large flocks of pink-footed geese Anser brachyrhynchus and barnacle geese Branta leucopsis in and around refuge lakes, where they congregate at high density during their flightless molting period in summer.