Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: An extensive survey for the detection of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza virus (HPAIV) H5 in seabird species is reported here. It was conducted between December 2023 and January 2024, in thirteen breeding sites spanning from the northeastern sector of the Antarctic Peninsula to the Ross Sea, including the coasts of the Bellingshausen Sea and the Amundsen Sea. Nine individuals from Pygoscelis adeliae and Leucocarbo bransfieldensis tested positive for RT-PCR amplification of a H5 segment of HPAIV in two different locations on the Antarctic Peninsula. This study suggests the possibility of the first cases of HPAIV H5 in the Antarctic continent, potentially adding two new species to the list of infected species. It also highlights the southernmost suspected cases identified to date of surveillance, and notably, no cases were detected between the Antarctic Peninsula and the Ross Sea.
Source: Scientific Reports
Institutions: Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Millenium Institute Center for Genome Regulation, Instituto de Biodiversidad de Ecosistemas Antárticos y Subantárticos, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, École Pratique des Hautes Études, Université de Montpellier, Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, Centre d'Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive, Scientific Centre of Monaco, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Université de Strasbourg, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, University of Helsinki, University of Chile
Language: English
Subfield: Epidemiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,690
OpenAlex ID: W4413106018