Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: High pathogenicity avian influenza virus H5N1 subtype (H5N1 HPAIV), clade 2.3.4.4b, is expanding its host and geographical range, and invaded Antarctica in 2023. Although mortality in Antarctic wildlife from H5N1 HPAIV has been suspected, mainly based on virological analysis of swabs collected from dead animals, it has not been unequivocally diagnosed. Here we show that H5N1 HPAIV caused high mortality in a breeding colony of skuas at one of ten sites in Antarctica we visited in March 2024. By combined virological, bacteriological and pathological analyses, we found that H5N1 HPAIV caused multi-organ necrosis and rapid death in skuas, but not in other species examined. Taken together with recent data, skuas in Antarctica are at risk of continued mortality from H5N1 HPAIV infection, threatening their already small populations. Conversely, because of their wide distribution and ecological relevance, skuas may play a substantial role in the spread of the virus across Antarctica. Transdisciplinary surveillance is needed in coming years to monitor the impact of this poultry-origin disease on Antarctica’s unique wildlife.
Source: Scientific Reports
Authors: Matteo Iervolino, Anne Günther, Lineke Begeman, Begoña Aguado, Theo M. Bestebroer, Beatriz Bellido-Martin, Adam Coerper, M. Valentina Fornillo, Bruno Fusaro, Andrés E. Ibañez, Lonneke Leijten, Simeon Lisovski, Mariané B. Mañez, Alice Reade, Peter van Run, Florencia Soto, Ben Wallis, Meagan Dewar, Antonio Alcamí, Martin Beer, Ralph E. T. Vanstreels, Thijs Kuiken
Institutions: Erasmus MC, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentine Antarctic Institute, Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Instituto de Biología de Organismos Marinos, Federation University, University of California, Davis
Language: English
Subfield: Epidemiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,690
OpenAlex ID: W7124172897