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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Athens, Georgia » U.S. National Poultry Research Center » Exotic & Emerging Avian Viral Diseases Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #364116
Research Project: Intervention Strategies to Prevent and Control Disease Outbreaks Caused by Emerging Strains of Avian Influenza Viruses

Location: Exotic & Emerging Avian Viral Diseases Research

Title: Domestic ducks play a major role in maintenance and spread of H5N8 highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses in South Korea

Author
item KWON, JUNGHOON - Consultant
item BAHL, JUSTIN - University Of Georgia
item Swayne, David
item LEE, YOUN-JEONG - Animal And Plant Quarantine Agency
item SONG, CHANG-SEON - Konkuk University
item LEE, DONG-HUN - University Of Connecticut

Submitted to: Transboundary and Emerging Diseases
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/25/2019
Publication Date: 3/6/2020
Citation: Kwon, J., Bahl, J., Swayne, D.E., Lee, Y., Song, C., Lee, D. 2019. Domestic ducks play a major role in maintenance and spread of H5N8 highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses in South Korea. Transboundary and Emerging Diseases. 14:257–265. https://doi.org/10.1111/tbed.13406.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/tbed.13406

Interpretive Summary: During 2014-2016 H5N8 highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIV) induced the longest outbreak in South Korea and caused severe economic loss in poultry. To understand how H5N8 HPAIV spread at host species level in Korea, we estimate transmission pathway between wild waterfowl, domestic ducks, and chickens. Our result indicated that domestic duck population plays a central role in the maintenance, amplification and spread of wild HPAIV to gallinaceous poultry in Korea.

Technical Abstract: The H5N8 highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIV) belonging to clade 2.3.4.4 spread from Eastern China to Korea in 2014 and caused outbreaks in domestic poultry until 2016. To understand how H5N8 HPAIV spread at host species level in Korea during 2014-2016, a Bayesian phylogenetic analysis was used for ancestral state reconstruction and estimation of the host transition dynamics between wild waterfowl, domestic ducks, and chickens. Our data supports that H5N8 HPAIV most likely transmitted from wild waterfowl to domestic ducks, then maintained in domestic ducks followed by dispersal of HPAIV from domestic ducks to chickens, suggesting domestic duck population plays a central role in the maintenance, amplification and spread of wild HPAIV to gallinaceous poultry in Korea.