Countries in West Africa, which have been hard hit by the Ebola virus, may soon be battling with a serious bird flu crisis, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned on Mond
Wild birds are the major reservoir hosts for influenza A viruses, occasionally transmitting to other species such as domesticated poultry. Despite an abundance of genomic data from avian influenza virus (AIV), little is known about whether AIV evolves differently in wild birds and poultry, although this is critical to revealing the dynamics and time-scale of viral evolution.
Millions of infected Iowa birds were being raised near the city of Harris by Sunrise Farms, an affiliate of Sonstegard Foods Company, the company said.
Photo: Joe Ahlquist
After a brief lull, bird flu fear reared its head again following reports of nearly 10,000 chickens in poultry farms on the city outskirts dying over the past few days.
We isolated eight highly pathogenic H5N8 avian influenza viruses (H5N8 HPAIVs) in the 2014/15 winter season at an overwintering site of migratory birds in Japan. Genetic analyses revealed that these isolates were divided into three groups, indicating the co-circulation of three genetic groups of H5N8 HPAIV among these migratory birds. These results also imply the possibility of global redistribution of the H5N8 HPAIVs via the migration of these birds next winter.
