Journal article
Genetic evidence of intercontinental movement of avian influenza in a migratory bird: The northern pintail (Anas acuta)
AV Koehler, JM Pearce, PL Flint, JC Franson, HS Ip
Molecular Ecology | WILEY | Published : 2008
Abstract
The role of migratory birds in the movement of the highly pathogenic (HP) avian influenza H5N1 remains a subject of debate. Testing hypotheses regarding intercontinental movement of low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) viruses will help evaluate the potential that wild birds could carry Asian-origin strains of HP avian influenza to North America during migration. Previous North American assessments of LPAI genetic variation have found few Asian reassortment events. Here, we present results from whole-genome analyses of LPAI isolates collected in Alaska from the northern pintail (Anas acuta), a species that migrates between North America and Asia. Phylogenetic analyses confirmed the genetic ..
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Funding Acknowledgements
We thank other members of the northern pintail avian influenza research team including D. Derksen, J. Hupp, S. Talbot, and M. Petersen. We are grateful to R. Kearney (US Geological Survey; USGS), S. Haseltine (USGS), P. Bright (USGS), D. Rocque ( US Fish and Wildlife Service; USFWS), and K. Trust (USFWS) for financial and administrative support. Y. Gillies (USGS ASC), D. Goldberg and R. Zane (USGS National Wildlife Health Center; NWHC) coordinated distribution of sampling materials, receipt of samples, and data verification. V. Dugan provided assistance with PCR primers. We thank the numerous field biologists and technicians who participated in sampling wild birds and native subsistence hunters from villages across Alaska who provided additional samples. We also thank past and current members of the Diagnostic Virology Laboratory at the USGS NWHC, including T. Egstad, K. Griffin, A. Hauser, K. Kooiman, R. Long, A. Miyamoto, J. Montez, J. Tuscher, Z. Najacht, and A. Ray. D. Derksen, J. Hupp, J. Hall, T. Hollmen, and two anonymous reviewers provided comments on an earlier version of this manuscript. None of the authors have any financial interests or conflict of interest with this article. Any use of trade names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the US Government.