title: Spread of H5N1 avian influenza virus: an ecological conundrum.
abstract: The role of wild birds in the spread of influenza H5N1 virus remains speculative and the ecology of influenza A viruses in nature is largely unstudied. There is an urgent need for multidisciplinary studies to explore the ecology of avian influenza viruses in wild birds and the environment to support ecological interpretation of the source of disease outbreaks in poultry.
authors.affiliation: Kadoorie Agricultural Research Centre, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China. melville@xtra.co.nz
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Melville
authors.forename: K F
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Shortridge
mesh_terms: D025041:Animal Migration; D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild / Q000821:virology*; D001717:Birds / Q000821:virology*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000662:veterinary; D017753:Ecosystem; D053124:Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype; D005585:Influenza in Birds / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology