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Notes from USGS reports on Avian Influenza (AI)
The following are notes taken from USGS reports on Avian Influenza worldwide during the past month.  Notice that there are no reports is pigeons or doves.
 

Hot News:
· The latest word on wild birds and AI. 21Apr, Science --
o LPAI isolated in 105 wild bird spp., Anseriformes & Charadriiformes major natural reservoirs. Preferentially infects intestinal cells, fecal-oral transmission.
o Seasonal variation in AI prevalence is pronounced, with ducks and waders exhibiting opposite temporal patterns, thus helping to maintain the virus.
o Routes of transmission may be different for LP and HPAI and deserve study
o Genetic analyses indicate HP H5N1 has circulated continuously in domestic birds in SE Asia since 1997 and is now endemic in the region.
o Wild birds can carry virus to previously uninfected areas
o At present there is no basis for including wild birds in control strategies beyond separation from poultry (i.e. no culling)
· UK bird flu tests too good to be true? 12April, New Scientist — Surveillance failure feared because 0/~4000 wild birds tested since late 2005 were H5N1 were positive. Incorrect storage (saline without media; refrigerator not frozen) blamed. Normally, ~10% dabbling ducks and ~1% geese should be LPAI positive, but only 2/3343 (0.06%) fecal samples and 3/423 (0.7%) hunter-killed ducks LPAI positive. Suggested use of portable RAPID PCR units as effective means of faster testing.
· From Russia with milk 11April2006 Mosnews.com – Criminal case pending for 2 men accused of defrauding villagers by offering milk inoculation instead of vaccine.
· Sturm-Ramirez 2005: virus shedding in recent strains of H5N1 is more predominant in the trachea compared to cloaca. H5N1 in the wild population could be under-represented using our current cloacal sampling.

International News (since last AI Update on 040906):
· Wild bird
4/10: India – Ministry of Forestry would not allow permission for sampling of 13,000 bar-headed geese at Pong Dam, until only 300 birds remained.
4/11: France – New cases in whooper swans, mute swans, common pochard, great crested grebe (still Qinghai Lake strain). New swans on 4/22, protection zone for 1 month. Found 66 cases (65 in city of Ain) in 14K dead birds tested.
4/11: Slovenia – Northern pintail and mute swan
4/11: Switzerland – Common pochard
4/11: Denmark – mute swans (3), whooper swans (2), rough-legged buzzard, tufted ducks (23), peregrine falcon, greylag goose, common buzzard (2).
4/14: Czech, Croatia, Poland – mute swans
4/20: UK—Scotland lifted protection zone on 4/5, 15 d after swan discovery. England Live bird sampling -- 2/3343 birds (shelduck, mallard) positive for LPAI (not H5 or H7) by PCR test, but not confirmed by viral isolation test. Shot birds—3/423 (1 H5,H7, 2 LPAI) in a mallard (H5N2), widgeon (H1N1), and teal with H5 by PCR (none in viral isolation). Mortality events – 1/1561 positive (91 still under investigation). More than 2400 phone calls daily with citizen reports of dead birds, teams traveled across Scotland to pickup carcasses, labs were kept open weekends with extra staff in surveillance areas.
4/21: FAO suggests biggest risk is aquatic birds.
4/22: Wild ducks more likely sick in late summer and fall. Dead swans found in areas without poultry outbreaks. In Europe, 3 mo testing 30,000 live wild birds in fall 2005 did not find H5N1, but did find it in 500 of 2000 dead birds tested.

· Human cases and domestic or captive animals
4/11: Thailand – Successful control, last case 11/9/05, 57k swabs since w/ no positives
4/11: Germany – Bavaria tests show 54-64/5334 (1-1.2%) wild birds H5N1 positive.
4/10: Mynamar – Battling >100 outbreaks in poultry
4/13: Russia – 0.6M poultry culled in 2005 (62 towns, 10 regions), 1.3M culled in 2006 so far (56 towns, 9 regions).
4/13: Cambodia – H5N1 Re-occurred in backyard poultry & wild ducks. Last case 4/1/05
4/15: Denmark – suspected human case tested negative for bird flu
4/16: Pakistan – new outbreak on a farm
4/16: Egypt – 95% loss of 100M broiler chickens. Birds were hidden from inspectors despite fears, because lack of food outweighed risks if not taken.
4/18: Ivory Coast – suspected, 20 new countries in 6 weeks.
4/19: Sudan: 1st case in poultry, >100K poultry culled. Human case being investigated
4/19: Indonesia: death of 3 children, 3 others and 2 parents sick. Cull of 1.8M hens. Vaccine not implemented – funds for only 120M vs 600M needed doses (2 for each bird).
4/20: UK – genetic tests confirm Scotland case was whooper swan, not mute swan.
4/21: Human cases confirmed in past 2 week – Egypt, Indonesia, Azerbaijan, China. Human total is now 113 dead of 204 cases (55%).
4/23: Netherlands – voluntary poultry vaccinations, 2 shots over 2 weeks allowing outdoor feeding, vaccine good for 12 mo.
4/23: Pakistan -- 40K poultry culled.