Flu virus found in songbird signals blind spot in disease surveillance
Scientists discovered a low-threat flu virus in a Ukrainian thrush, a species rarely monitored for influenza. The finding exposes a major gap in global disease surveillance: millions of wild birds go unwatched, potentially allowing novel viruses to circulate undetected before threatening livestock or human populations.
Originaltitel: Genetic Characterization of Avian Influenza Virus A (H1N1) Isolated from a Fieldfare <em>Turdus pilaris</em> in Ukraine
<p>Avian influenza viruses are predominantly associated with waterfowl and shorebirds, and are rarely detected in other avian hosts in nature. In 2021, an H1N1 virus was isolated from a Fieldfare <em>Turdus pilaris </em>in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Ukraine. A phylogenetic analysis revealed that all eight gene segments belonged to the Eurasian low-pathogenic avian influenza lineages. The highest nucleotide identity of the HA gene was observed with viruses detected in Georgia, Sweden, and Ukraine (99.11%), while the NA gene showed the greatest identity to viruses from Western Europe (99.14-99.57%). Genetic analysis of the HA cleavage site showed a sequence (PSIQSR down arrow GLF) that contained a single basic amino acid. No deletions were detected in the stalk region of NA gene, and no specific mutations in PB2 protein were found. However, several amino acid substitutions were identified in the HA gene (D204E, S207T, and D239G) that may affect the binding affinity to specific antibodies. The occurrence of this virus in a wild, seemingly healthy thrush indicate that additional surveillance in poorly studied ecological groups such as Passeriformes is warranted.</p>