Avian influenza viruses in wild birds in Canada following incursions of highly pathogenic H5N1 virus from Eurasia in 2021-2022.
Jolene A GiacintiAnthony V SignoreMegan E B JonesLaura BourqueStéphane LairClaire JardineBrian StevensTrent BollingerDayna Goldsmithnull nullMargo PybusIga StasiakRichard DavisNeil PopleLarissa NituchRodney W BrookDavor OjkicAriane MasséGabrielle Dimitri-MassonGlen J ParsonsMeghan BakerCarmencita YasonJane HarmsNaima JuthaJon NeelyYohannes BerhaneOliver LungShannon K FrenchLawrna MyersJennifer F ProvencherStephanie Avery-GommGregory J RobertsonTatsiana BarychkaKirsty E B GurneyJordan WightIshraq RahmanKathryn HarganAndrew S LangWilliam A MontevecchiTori V BurtMichael G C BrownCynthia PekarikTrevor ThompsonAngela McLaughlinMegan WillieLaurie WilsonScott A FlemmingMegan V RossJim LeafloorFrank BaldwinChris SharpHannah LewisMatthieu BeaumontAl HansonRobert A RonconiEric ReedMargaret CampbellMichelle SaundersCatherine SoosPublished in: mBio (2024)
We present the results of Canada's Interagency Surveillance Program for Avian Influenza in Wild Birds in the year following the first detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) H5N1 on the continent. The surveillance program tested over 17,000 wild birds, both sick and apparently healthy, which revealed spatiotemporal and taxonomic patterns in HPAIV prevalence and mortality across Canada. The significant shift in the presence and distribution of HPAIV in Canada's wild birds underscores the need for sustained investment in wild bird surveillance and collaboration across One Health partners.