Are Ducks Contributing to the Endemicity of Highly Pathogenic H5N1 Influenza Virus in Asia?

• DOI: 10.1128/jvi.79.17.11269-11279.2005
• Publication Date: 2005-08-15T18:27:51Z
• Authors: K. M. Sturm-Ramirez; D. J. Hulse-Post; E. A. Govorkova; J. Humberd; P. Seiler; P. Puthavathana; C. Buranathai; T. D. Nguyen; A. Chaisingh; H. T. Long; T. S. P. Naipospos; H. Chen; T. M. Ellis; Y. Guan; J. S. M. Peiris; R. G. Webster
• Keywords: Cloaca; Natural reservoir; Flock

Wild waterfowl are the natural reservoir of all influenza A viruses, and these viruses usually nonpathogenic in birds. However, since late 2002, H5N1 outbreaks Asia have resulted mortality among recreational parks, domestic flocks, wild migratory The evolutionary stasis between virus its host may been disrupted, prompting us to ask whether resistant disease they can still act as a for viruses. To better understand biology ducks attempt answer this question, we inoculated juvenile mallards with 23 different isolated 2003 2004. All isolates replicated efficiently ducks, 22 were transmitted susceptible contacts. Viruses higher levels trachea than cloaca both contact birds, suggesting that digestive tract is not main site replication fecal-oral route no longer be transmission path. isolates' pathogenicities varied from completely highly lethal positively correlated tracheal titers. Nevertheless, eight naïve contacts, pathogenic causing minimal signs propagate silently represent serious threat human veterinary public health.