title: Experimental infection of swans and geese with highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (H5N1) of Asian lineage.
abstract: The role of wild birds in the epidemiology of the Asian lineage highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus subtype H5N1 epizootic and their contribution to the spread of the responsible viruses in Eurasia and Africa are unclear. To better understand the potential role of swans and geese in the epidemiology of this virus, we infected 4 species of swans and 2 species of geese with an HPAI virus of Asian lineage recovered from a whooper swan in Mongolia in 2005, A/whooper swan/Mongolia/244/2005 (H5N1). The highest mortality rates were observed in swans, and species-related differences in clinical illness and viral shedding were evident. These results suggest that the potential for HPAI (H5N1) viral shedding and the movement of infected birds may be species-dependent and can help explain observed deaths associated with HPAI (H5N1) infection in anseriforms in Eurasia.
authors.affiliation: Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA. jbrown@vet.uga.edu
authors.forename: Justin D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: David E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Stallknecht
authors.forename: David E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Swayne
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild; D046090:Anseriformes / Q000821:virology*; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000821:virology; D005777:Geese / Q000821:virology*; D053124:Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D005585:Influenza in Birds / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000821:virology; D009474:Neurons / Q000821:virology; D017201:Virus Shedding