Migratory patterns of two major influenza virus host species on tropical islands

International audience Animal migration is a major driver of infectious agent dispersal. Duck and seabird migrations, for instance, play a key role in the spatial transmission dynamics and gene flow of avian influenza viruses (AIV), worldwide. On tropical islands, brown and lesser noddies ( Anous st...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Royal Society Open Science
Main Authors: Lebarbenchon, Camille, Boucher, Solenn, Feare, Chris, Dietrich, Muriel, Larose, Christine, Humeau, Laurence, Le Corre, Matthieu, Jaeger, Audrey
Other Authors: Ecologie marine tropicale dans les Océans Pacifique et Indien (ENTROPIE Réunion ), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université de La Réunion (UR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: HAL CCSD 2023
Subjects:
[SDV]Life Sciences [q-bio]
Indian
Bird Island
Online Access:https://hal.science/hal-04426090
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.230600
Description
Summary:International audience Animal migration is a major driver of infectious agent dispersal. Duck and seabird migrations, for instance, play a key role in the spatial transmission dynamics and gene flow of avian influenza viruses (AIV), worldwide. On tropical islands, brown and lesser noddies ( Anous stolidus and Anous tenuirostris ) may be important AIV hosts, but the lack of knowledge on their migratory behaviour limits our understanding of virus circulation in island networks. Here we show that high connectivity between islands generated by non-breeding dispersive behaviours may be a major driver in the spread and the maintenance of AIV among tropical islands of the western Indian Ocean. Tracking data highlight two types of dispersive behaviours during the non-breeding season: birds either staying in the vicinity of their breeding ground (on Bird Island, Seychelles), or moving to and roosting on other islands in the western Indian Ocean. Migrant birds used a wide range of roosting places from the Tanzanian coasts to the Maldives archipelago and Tromelin Island. Epidemiological data confirm that brown and lesser noddies are major hosts for AIV, although significant variations of seroprevalence between species suggest that other biological and ecological drivers could be involved in virus infection and transmission dynamics.

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