A systematic review of laboratory investigations into the pathogenesis of avian influenza viruses in wild avifauna of North America

Authors: GONNERMAN, MATTHEW - University Of Maryland; LEYSON, CHRISTINA - Emory University; SULLIVAN, JEFFERY - Us Geological Survey; Pantin Jackwood, Mary; Spackman, Erica; MULLINAX, JENNIFER - University Of Maryland; PROSSER, DIANN - Us Geological Survey

Submitted to: Proceedings of the Royal Society. B. Biological Sciences
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/26/2024
Publication Date: 10/30/2024
Citation: Gonnerman, M., Leyson, C., Sullivan, J., Pantin Jackwood, M.J., Spackman, E., Mullinax, J., Prosser, D. 2024. A systematic review of laboratory investigations into the pathogenesis of avian influenza viruses in wild avifauna of North America. Proceedings of the Royal Society. B. Biological Sciences. 291(2033):2024. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2024.1845.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2024.1845

Interpretive Summary: Highly virulent avian influenza viruses (or "bird flu") is carried by wild waterfowl. However, is don't always cause disease in waterfowl. Data on natural infections is very difficult to interpret so laboratory studies have been completed in numerous species over decades to understand how the virus affects different species and how it spreads. The goal of this study evaluated how North American birds were represented in the literature to inform conservation efforts. The data from the literature was then compiled and analyzed for virus excretion quantity and duration by each species. The clinical outcome of infection was evaluated among all the species too. This helps provide a more complete picture of which species are most critical for carrying bird flu. Two other important points that came to light were that there are no studies on many of the most important avian species in North America and that the data are heavily biased to only a few strains of bird flu.

Technical Abstract: The lack of consolidated information regarding response of wild bird species to infection with avian influenza virus (AIV) is a challenge to both conservation managers and researchers alike, with related sectors also impacted, such as public health and commercial poultry. Using two independent searches, we reviewed published literature for studies describing wild bird species experimentally infected with avian influenza to assess host species’ relative susceptibility to AIVs. Additionally, we summarize broad scale parameters for elements such as shedding duration and minimum infectious dose that can be used in transmission modeling efforts. Our synthesis shows that waterfowl (i.e., Anatidae) comprise the vast majority of published AIV pathobiology studies, whereas gulls and passerines were less represented in research despite evidence that they also are susceptible and contribute to HPAIV disease dynamics. This study represents the first comprehensive effort to compile available literature regarding the pathobiology of AIV’s in all wild birds in over a decade. This database can now serve as a tool to all researchers, providing generalized estimates of pathobiology parameters for a variety of wild avian families and an opportunity to critically examine and assess what is known and identify where further insight is needed.