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Avian influenza A virus susceptibility, infection, transmission, and antibody kinetics in European starlings
- Source :
- PLoS Pathogens, Vol 17, Iss 8, p e1009879 (2021), PLoS Pathogens
- Publication Year :
- 2021
- Publisher :
- Public Library of Science (PLoS), 2021.
-
Abstract
- Avian influenza A viruses (IAVs) pose risks to public, agricultural, and wildlife health. Bridge hosts are spillover hosts that share habitat with both maintenance hosts (e.g., mallards) and target hosts (e.g., poultry). We conducted a comprehensive assessment of European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris), a common visitor to both urban and agricultural environments, to assess whether this species might act as a potential maintenance or bridge host for IAVs. First, we experimentally inoculated starlings with a wild bird IAV to investigate susceptibility and replication kinetics. Next, we evaluated whether IAV might spill over to starlings from sharing resources with a widespread IAV reservoir host. We accomplished this using a specially designed transmission cage to simulate natural environmental transmission by exposing starlings to water shared with IAV-infected mallards (Anas platyrhynchos). We then conducted a contact study to assess intraspecies transmission between starlings. In the initial experimental infection study, all inoculated starlings shed viral RNA and seroconverted. All starlings in the transmission study became infected and shed RNA at similar levels. All but one of these birds seroconverted, but detectable antibodies were relatively transient, falling to negative levels in a majority of birds by 59 days post contact. None of the contact starlings in the intraspecies transmission experiment became infected. In summary, we demonstrated that starlings may have the potential to act as IAV bridge hosts if they share water with IAV-infected waterfowl. However, starlings are unlikely to act as maintenance hosts due to limited, if any, intraspecies transmission. In addition, starlings have a relatively brief antibody response which should be considered when interpreting serology from field samples. Further study is needed to evaluate the potential for transmission from starlings to poultry, a possibility enhanced by starling’s behavioral trait of forming very large flocks which can descend on poultry facilities when natural resources are scarce.<br />Author summary Besides causing seasonal influenza, influenza A viruses (IAVs) are important because they can become pathogenic and threaten human, livestock, or wildlife health. Wild birds are the primary reservoir of IAVs which are generally low pathogenic, but when wild bird viruses spill over into poultry, they can evolve to be highly pathogenic to poultry and sometimes to wild birds or humans. Thus, understanding how viruses move from wild birds into poultry is important. Aquatic birds such as ducks and geese are commonly infected with IAVs, but in many regions, these birds are uncommon on farms. Therefore, species that use both aquatic and agricultural areas may pose a risk by moving IAVs from aquatic birds to poultry. In this paper we evaluated whether European starlings, a species commonly found in both aquatic and agricultural habitats, can be infected by sharing water with IAV-infected ducks. We found that starlings can become infected when exposed to contaminated water, but IAV does not readily transmit between starlings. Consequently, starlings may pose a risk for spillover of IAVs to farms but are unlikely to maintain infections without exposure to other species.
- Subjects :
- RNA viruses
Physiology
Antibodies, Viral
medicine.disease_cause
Biochemistry
Poultry
law.invention
Geographical Locations
Avian Influenza A Virus
law
Immune Physiology
Waterfowl
Influenza A virus
Biology (General)
Pathology and laboratory medicine
Animal Management
Immune System Proteins
biology
Starling
Eukaryota
Agriculture
Medical microbiology
Virus Shedding
Europe
Ducks
Transmission (mechanics)
Starlings
Vertebrates
Viruses
Pathogens
Research Article
Livestock
QH301-705.5
Immunology
Zoology
Microbiology
Antibodies
Birds
Virology
Genetics
medicine
Animals
Influenza viruses
Molecular Biology
Medicine and health sciences
Organisms
Viral pathogens
Biology and Life Sciences
Proteins
RC581-607
biology.organism_classification
Viral Replication
Influenza A virus subtype H5N1
Microbial pathogens
Kinetics
Sturnus
Influenza in Birds
Amniotes
People and Places
Parasitology
Flock
Immunologic diseases. Allergy
Orthomyxoviruses
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 15537374 and 15537366
- Volume :
- 17
- Issue :
- 8
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- PLoS Pathogens
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....2b69362884d162f394debc15e2563194