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Teitelbaum CS, Masto NM, Sullivan JD, Keever AC, Poulson RL, Carter DL, Blake-Bradshaw AG, Highway CJ, Feddersen JC, Hagy HM, Gerhold RW, Cohen BS, Prosser DJ. North American wintering mallards infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza show few signs of altered local or migratory movements. Sci Rep 2023; 13:14473. [PMID: 37660131 PMCID: PMC10475108 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-40921-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Avian influenza viruses pose a threat to wildlife and livestock health. The emergence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in wild birds and poultry in North America in late 2021 was the first such outbreak since 2015 and the largest outbreak in North America to date. Despite its prominence and economic impacts, we know relatively little about how HPAI spreads in wild bird populations. In January 2022, we captured 43 mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) in Tennessee, USA, 11 of which were actively infected with HPAI. These were the first confirmed detections of HPAI H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b in the Mississippi Flyway. We compared movement patterns of infected and uninfected birds and found no clear differences; infected birds moved just as much during winter, migrated slightly earlier, and migrated similar distances as uninfected birds. Infected mallards also contacted and shared space with uninfected birds while on their wintering grounds, suggesting ongoing transmission of the virus. We found no differences in body condition or survival rates between infected and uninfected birds. Together, these results show that HPAI H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b infection was unrelated to body condition or movement behavior in mallards infected at this location during winter; if these results are confirmed in other seasons and as HPAI H5N1 continues to evolve, they suggest that these birds could contribute to the maintenance and dispersal of HPAI in North America. Further research on more species across larger geographic areas and multiple seasons would help clarify potential impacts of HPAI on waterfowl and how this emerging disease spreads at continental scales, across species, and potentially between wildlife and domestic animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire S Teitelbaum
- Akima Systems Engineering, Herndon, VA, USA.
- Contractor to U.S. Geological Survey, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Laurel, MD, USA.
- Bay Area Environmental Research Institute and NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, USA.
| | - Nicholas M Masto
- College of Arts and Sciences, Tennessee Technological University, Cookeville, TN, USA
| | - Jeffery D Sullivan
- U.S. Geological Survey, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Laurel, MD, USA
| | - Allison C Keever
- College of Arts and Sciences, Tennessee Technological University, Cookeville, TN, USA
| | - Rebecca L Poulson
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Deborah L Carter
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | | | - Cory J Highway
- College of Arts and Sciences, Tennessee Technological University, Cookeville, TN, USA
| | | | - Heath M Hagy
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Wildlife Refuge System, Stanton, TN, USA
| | - Richard W Gerhold
- University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine, Knoxville, TN, USA
| | - Bradley S Cohen
- College of Arts and Sciences, Tennessee Technological University, Cookeville, TN, USA
| | - Diann J Prosser
- U.S. Geological Survey, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Laurel, MD, USA
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Teitelbaum CS, Casazza ML, McDuie F, De La Cruz SEW, Overton CT, Hall LA, Matchett EL, Ackerman JT, Sullivan JD, Ramey AM, Prosser DJ. Waterfowl recently infected with low pathogenic avian influenza exhibit reduced local movement and delayed migration. Ecosphere 2023. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.4432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/19/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Claire S. Teitelbaum
- Akima Systems Engineering Herndon Virginia USA
- Contractor to U.S. Geological Survey Eastern Ecological Science Center Laurel Maryland USA
| | - Michael L. Casazza
- U.S. Geological Survey Western Ecological Research Center, Dixon Field Station Dixon California USA
| | - Fiona McDuie
- U.S. Geological Survey Western Ecological Research Center, Dixon Field Station Dixon California USA
- San Jose State University Research Foundation Moss Landing Marine Laboratories Moss Landing California USA
| | - Susan E. W. De La Cruz
- U.S. Geological Survey Western Ecological Research Center San Francisco Bay Estuary Field Station Moffett Field California USA
| | - Cory T. Overton
- U.S. Geological Survey Western Ecological Research Center, Dixon Field Station Dixon California USA
| | - Laurie A. Hall
- U.S. Geological Survey Western Ecological Research Center San Francisco Bay Estuary Field Station Moffett Field California USA
| | - Elliott L. Matchett
- U.S. Geological Survey Western Ecological Research Center, Dixon Field Station Dixon California USA
| | - Joshua T. Ackerman
- U.S. Geological Survey Western Ecological Research Center, Dixon Field Station Dixon California USA
| | - Jeffery D. Sullivan
- U.S. Geological Survey Eastern Ecological Science Center Laurel Maryland USA
| | - Andrew M. Ramey
- U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Science Center Anchorage Alaska USA
| | - Diann J. Prosser
- U.S. Geological Survey Eastern Ecological Science Center Laurel Maryland USA
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Teitelbaum CS, Ackerman JT, Hill MA, Satter JM, Casazza ML, De La Cruz SEW, Boyce WM, Buck EJ, Eadie JM, Herzog MP, Matchett EL, Overton CT, Peterson SH, Plancarte M, Ramey AM, Sullivan JD, Prosser DJ. Avian influenza antibody prevalence increases with mercury contamination in wild waterfowl. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20221312. [PMID: 36069010 PMCID: PMC9449466 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.1312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Environmental contamination is widespread and can negatively impact wildlife health. Some contaminants, including heavy metals, have immunosuppressive effects, but prior studies have rarely measured contamination and disease simultaneously, which limits our understanding of how contaminants and pathogens interact to influence wildlife health. Here, we measured mercury concentrations, influenza infection, influenza antibodies and body condition in 749 individuals from 11 species of wild ducks overwintering in California. We found that the odds of prior influenza infection increased more than fivefold across the observed range of blood mercury concentrations, while accounting for species, age, sex and date. Influenza infection prevalence was also higher in species with higher average mercury concentrations. We detected no relationship between influenza infection and body fat content. This positive relationship between influenza prevalence and mercury concentrations in migratory waterfowl suggests that immunotoxic effects of mercury contamination could promote the spread of avian influenza along migratory flyways, especially if influenza has minimal effects on bird health and mobility. More generally, these results show that the effects of environmental contamination could extend beyond the geographical area of contamination itself by altering the prevalence of infectious diseases in highly mobile hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire S. Teitelbaum
- Akima Systems Engineering, Herndon, VA, USA
- Contractor to U.S. Geological Survey Eastern Ecological Science Center, Laurel, MD, USA
| | - Joshua T. Ackerman
- U.S. Geological Survey Western Ecological Research Center, Dixon Field Station, Dixon, CA, USA
| | - Mason A. Hill
- U.S. Geological Survey Western Ecological Research Center, San Francisco Bay Estuary Field Station, Moffett Field, CA, USA
| | - Jacqueline M. Satter
- UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Michael L. Casazza
- U.S. Geological Survey Western Ecological Research Center, Dixon Field Station, Dixon, CA, USA
| | - Susan E. W. De La Cruz
- U.S. Geological Survey Western Ecological Research Center, San Francisco Bay Estuary Field Station, Moffett Field, CA, USA
| | | | - Evan J. Buck
- U.S. Geological Survey Eastern Ecological Science Center, Laurel, MD, USA
| | - John M. Eadie
- UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Mark P. Herzog
- U.S. Geological Survey Western Ecological Research Center, Dixon Field Station, Dixon, CA, USA
| | - Elliott L. Matchett
- U.S. Geological Survey Western Ecological Research Center, Dixon Field Station, Dixon, CA, USA
| | - Cory T. Overton
- U.S. Geological Survey Western Ecological Research Center, Dixon Field Station, Dixon, CA, USA
| | - Sarah H. Peterson
- U.S. Geological Survey Western Ecological Research Center, Dixon Field Station, Dixon, CA, USA
| | | | - Andrew M. Ramey
- U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, AK, USA
| | | | - Diann J. Prosser
- U.S. Geological Survey Eastern Ecological Science Center, Laurel, MD, USA
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