Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus H5N1 infection in skua and gulls in the United Kingdom, 2022 ...

• Main Authors: Lean, Fabian Z. X., Falchieri, Marco, Furman, Natalia, Tyler, Glen, Robinson, Caroline, Holmes, Paul, Reid, Scott M., Banyard, Ashley C., Brown, Ian H., Man, Catherine, Núñez, Alejandro
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: SAGE Journals 2023
• Subjects: Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences not elsewhere classified; Veterinary Medicine; Great skua; Long-tailed Skua; Stercorarius longicaudus; Stercorarius skua; Black-headed Gull; Chroicocephalus ridibundus
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.25384/sage.c.6995804.v1; https://sage.figshare.com/collections/Highly_pathogenic_avian_influenza_virus_H5N1_infection_in_skua_and_gulls_in_the_United_Kingdom_2022/6995804/1

The reemergence of the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) subtype H5N1 in the United Kingdom in 2021–2022 has caused unprecedented epizootic events in wild birds and poultry. During the summer of 2022, there was a shift in virus transmission dynamics resulting in increased HPAIV infection in seabirds, and consequently, a profound impact on seabird populations. To understand the pathological impact of HPAIV in seabirds, we evaluated the virus antigen distribution and associated pathological changes in the tissues of great skua ( Stercorarius skua , n = 8), long-tailed skua ( Stercorarius longicaudus , n = 1), European herring gull ( Larus argentatus , n = 5), and black-headed gull ( Chroicocephalus ridibundus , n = 4), which succumbed to natural infection of HPAIV during the summer of 2022. Cases were collected from Shetland, including Scatness (mainland), No Ness (mainland), Clumlie (mainland), Hermaness (island), Fair Isle (island), Noss (island), and the West Midlands, South East, and South ...