title: Role of domestic ducks in the propagation and biological evolution of highly pathogenic H5N1 influenza viruses in Asia.
abstract: Wild waterfowl, including ducks, are natural hosts of influenza A viruses. These viruses rarely caused disease in ducks until 2002, when some H5N1 strains became highly pathogenic. Here we show that these H5N1 viruses are reverting to nonpathogenicity in ducks. Ducks experimentally infected with viruses isolated between 2003 and 2004 shed virus for an extended time (up to 17 days), during which variant viruses with low pathogenicity were selected. These results suggest that the duck has become the "Trojan horse" of Asian H5N1 influenza viruses. The ducks that are unaffected by infection with these viruses continue to circulate these viruses, presenting a pandemic threat.
authors: Division of Virology, Department of Infectious Diseases, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA.
authors: D J
authors: DJ
authors: Hulse-Post
authors: K M
authors: KM
authors: Sturm-Ramirez
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Humberd
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Seiler
authors: E A
authors: EA
authors: Govorkova
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Krauss
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Scholtissek
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Puthavathana
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Buranathai
authors: T D
authors: TD
authors: Nguyen
authors: H T
authors: HT
authors: Long
authors: T S P
authors: TS
authors: Naipospos
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Chen
authors: T M
authors: TM
authors: Ellis
authors: Y
authors: Y
authors: Guan
authors: J S M
authors: JS
authors: Peiris
authors: R G
authors: RG
authors: Webster
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001208:Asia; D005075:Biological Evolution; D004372:Ducks / Q000821:virology*; D006385:Hemagglutination Inhibition Tests / Q000662:veterinary; D053124:Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D005585:Influenza in Birds / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology; D009500:Neutralization Tests / Q000662:veterinary; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA / Q000662:veterinary; D013997:Time Factors; D014774:Virulence; D017201:Virus Shedding / Q000276:immunology