Iceland as Stepping Stone for Spread of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus between Europe and North America

Funding Information: This study was supported by the European Union Horizon 2020 (program grant VEO no. 874735) and by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (project PREPMEDVET, grant no. 13N15449). Publisher Copyright: © 2022 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). All rig...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Günther, Anne, Krone, Oliver, Svansson, Vilhjalmur, Pohlmann, Anne, King, Jacqueline, Hallgrimsson, Gunnar Thor, Skarphéðinsson, Kristinn Haukur, Sigurðardóttir, Heiða, Jónsson, Stefán Ragnar, Beer, Martin, Brugger, Brigitte, Harder, Timm
Other Authors: Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, The Institute for Experimental Pathology University of Iceland
Format: Other/Unknown Material
Language:English
Published: 2022
Subjects:
avian influenza
Europe
H5N1
highly pathogenic avian influenza
highly pathogenic avian influenza virus
HPAIV
Iceland
influenza virus
migratory birds
North America
North Atlantic
respiratory infections
stepping stone
subtype
transatlantic spread
viruses
zoonoses
Epidemiology
Microbiology (medical)
Infectious Diseases
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/3977
https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2812.221086
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Summary:Funding Information: This study was supported by the European Union Horizon 2020 (program grant VEO no. 874735) and by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (project PREPMEDVET, grant no. 13N15449). Publisher Copyright: © 2022 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). All rights reserved. Highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIVs) of hemagglutinin type H5 and clade 2.3.4.4b have widely spread within the northern hemisphere since 2020 and threaten wild bird populations, as well as poultry production. We present phylogeographic evidence that Iceland has been used as a stepping stone for HPAIV translocation from northern Europe to North America by infected but mobile wild birds. At least 2 independent incursions of HPAIV H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b assigned to 2 hemagglutinin clusters, B1 and B2, are documented for summer‒autumn 2021 and spring 2022. Spread of HPAIV H5N1 to and among colony-breeding pelagic avian species in Iceland is ongoing. Potentially devastating effects (i.e., local losses >25%) on these species caused by extended HPAIV circulation in space and time are being observed at several affected breeding sites throughout the North Atlantic. Peer reviewed

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