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Influenza A virus (IAV) is the only species of the genus Alphainfluenzavirus of the virus family Orthomyxoviridae. It is a pathogen with strains that infect birds and some mammals, as well as causing seasonal flu in humans. Mammals in which different strains of IAV circulate with sustained transmission are bats, pigs, horses and dogs; other mammals can occasionally become infected.
Avian influenza, also known as avian flu or bird flu, is a disease caused by the influenza A virus, which primarily affects birds but can sometimes affect mammals including humans. Wild aquatic birds are the primary host of the influenza A virus, which is enzootic in many bird populations.
Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 (A/H5N1) is a subtype of the influenza A virus, which causes influenza (flu), predominantly in birds. It is enzootic in many bird populations, and also panzootic. A/H5N1 virus can also infect mammals that have been exposed to infected birds; in these cases, symptoms are frequently severe or fatal.
The global spread of H5N1 influenza in birds is considered a significant pandemic threat. While other H5N1 influenza strains are known, they are significantly different on a genetic level from a highly pathogenic, emergent strain of H5N1, which was able to achieve hitherto unprecedented global spread in 2008. The H5N1 strain is a fast-mutating, highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAI) found in multiple bird species. It is both epizootic and panzootic. Unless otherwise indicated, "H5N1" in this timeline refers to the 2008 highly pathogenic strain of H5N1.
Transmission and infection of H5N1 from infected avian sources to humans has been a concern since the first documented case of human infection in 1997, due to the global spread of H5N1 that constitutes a pandemic threat.
H5 N2 is a subtype of the species Influenzavirus A. The subtype infects a wide variety of birds, including chickens, ducks, turkeys, falcons, and ostriches. Affected birds usually do not appear ill, and the disease is often mild as avian influenza viral subtypes go. Some variants of the subtype are much more pathogenic than others, and outbreaks of "high-path" H5N2 result in the culling of thousands of birds in poultry farms from time to time. It appears that people who work with birds can be infected by the virus, but suffer hardly any noticeable health effects. Even people exposed to the highly pathogenic H5N2 variety that killed ostrich chicks in South Africa only seem to have developed conjunctivitis, or a perhaps a mild respiratory illness. There is no evidence of human-to-human spread of H5N2. On November 12, 2005 it was reported that a falcon was found to have H5N2. On June 5, 2024, the first confirmed human case of H5N2 was reported in Mexico.
Influenza A virus subtype H7N7 (A/H7N7) is a subtype of Influenza A virus, a genus of Orthomyxovirus, the viruses responsible for influenza. Highly pathogenic strains (HPAI) and low pathogenic strains (LPAI) exist. H7N7 can infect humans, birds, pigs, seals, and horses in the wild; and has infected mice in laboratory studies. This unusual zoonotic potential represents a pandemic threat.
The genetic structure of H5N1, a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus, is characterized by a segmented RNA genome consisting of eight gene segments that encode for various viral proteins essential for replication, host adaptation, and immune evasion.
The global spread of H5N1 in birds is considered a significant pandemic threat.
The global spread of H5N1 in birds is considered a significant pandemic threat.
The global spread of H5N1 in birds is considered a significant pandemic threat.
Fujian flu refers to flu caused by either a Fujian human flu strain of the H3N2 subtype of the Influenza A virus or a Fujian bird flu strain of the H5N1 subtype of the Influenza A virus. These strains are named after Fujian, a coastal province in Southeast China.
The Goose Guangdong virus refers to the strain A/Goose/Guangdong/1/96 (Gs/Gd)-like H5N1 HPAI viruses. It is a strain of the Influenzavirus A subtype H5N1 virus that was first detected in a goose in Guangdong in 1996. It is an HPAI virus, meaning that it can kill a very high percentage of chickens in a flock in mere days. It is believed to be the immediate precursor of the current dominant strain of HPAI A(H5N1) that evolved from 1999 to 2002 creating the Z genotype that is spreading globally and is epizootic and panzootic, killing tens of millions of birds and spurring the culling of hundreds of millions of others to stem its spread.
H5N1 influenza virus is a type of influenza A virus which mostly infects birds. H5N1 flu is a concern due to the its global spread that may constitute a pandemic threat. The yardstick for human mortality from H5N1 is the case-fatality rate (CFR); the ratio of the number of confirmed human deaths resulting from infection of H5N1 to the number of those confirmed cases of infection with the virus. For example, if there are 100 confirmed cases of a disease and 50 die as a consequence, then the CFR is 50%. The case fatality rate does not take into account cases of a disease which are unconfirmed or undiagnosed, perhaps because symptoms were mild and unremarkable or because of a lack of diagnostic facilities. The Infection Fatality Rate (IFR) is adjusted to allow for undiagnosed cases.
Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These symptoms begin one to four days after exposure to the virus and last for about two to eight days. Diarrhea and vomiting can occur, particularly in children. Influenza may progress to pneumonia from the virus or a subsequent bacterial infection. Other complications include acute respiratory distress syndrome, meningitis, encephalitis, and worsening of pre-existing health problems such as asthma and cardiovascular disease.
Influenza A virus subtype H7N9 (A/H7N9) is a subtype of the influenza A virus, which causes influenza (flu), predominantly in birds. It is enzootic in many bird populations. The virus can spread rapidly through poultry flocks and among wild birds; it can also infect humans that have been exposed to infected birds.
Cats with avian influenza exhibit symptoms that can result in death. The avian influenza viruses cats may get include H5N1 or H7N2, which are subtypes. In order to get the virus, cats need to be in contact with waterfowl, poultry, or uncooked poultry that are infected. Two of the main organs that the virus affects are the lungs and liver.
H5N6 is a subtype of the species Influenza A virus. Infected birds shed the virus in their saliva, mucus, and feces. The virus was first detected in poultry in 2013, since then spreading among wild bird populations and poultry around the world. Humans can be infected through unprotected contact with infected birds or contaminated surfaces. The virus transmits by getting into a person's eyes, nose, mouth, and through inhalation. Human infections are rare. Since 2014, at least 94 cases have occurred in humans. 37 people have died. A spike in human cases was reported in 2021. There have been no confirmed cases of human-to-human transmission. Some infections have been identified where no direct contact with infected birds or contaminated surfaces has been known to had occurred. Only one infected woman has said that she never came into any contact with poultry.
In 2015, an outbreak of avian influenza subtype H5N2 was identified in a series of chicken and turkey farming operations in the Midwestern United States. By May 30, more than 43 million birds in 15 states had been destroyed as a result of the outbreak, including nearly 30 million in Iowa alone, the nation's largest egg producer. In the Midwestern U.S., the average price of eggs had increased 120% between April 22 and May 30. The effects however were seen nationwide, with prices in California up 71% in the same timeframe.
Since 2020, outbreaks of avian influenza subtype H5N1 have been occurring, with cases reported from every continent except Australia as of November 2024. Some species of wild aquatic birds act as natural asymptomatic carriers of a large variety of influenza A viruses, which can infect poultry, other bird species, mammals and humans if they come into close contact with infected feces or contaminated material, or by eating infected birds. In late 2023, H5N1 was discovered in the Antarctic for the first time, raising fears of imminent spread throughout the region, potentially leading to a "catastrophic breeding failure" among animals that had not previously been exposed to avian influenza viruses. The main virus involved in the global outbreak is classified as H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b, however genetic diversification with other clades such as 2.3.2.1c has seen the virus evolve in ability to cause significant outbreaks in a broader range of species including mammals.
References
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- 1 2 3 Pelley, Lauren (2 February 2023). "Bird flu keeps spreading beyond birds. Scientists worry it signals a growing threat to humans, too". CBC News. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
- ↑ "Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1 Detections in Alpacas". USDA. APHIS. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
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- ↑ Schnirring, Lisa (20 July 2023). "H5N1 avian flu strikes more Finnish fur farms, second fox species". University of Minnesota. CIDRAP. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
- ↑ Merrick, Jane (1 February 2023). "Mass death of seals raises fears bird flu is jumping between mammals, threatening new pandemic". The i newspaper. Archived from the original on 3 February 2023. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
- ↑ Polansek, Tom (19 April 2024). "USDA confirms cow-to-cow transmission a factor in bird flu spread". Reuters. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ↑ Burrough ER, Magstadt DR, Petersen B, Timmermans SJ, Gauger PC, Zhang J, Siepker C, Mainenti M, Li G, Thompson AC, Gorden PJ, Plummer PJ, Main R (April 2024). "Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Clade 2.3.4.4b Virus Infection in Domestic Dairy Cattle and Cats, United States, 2024". Emerging Infectious Diseases. 30 (7). doi:10.3201/eid3007.240508. PMC 11210653 . PMID 38683888.
Cow-to-cow transmission appears to have occurred because infections were observed in cattle on Michigan, Idaho, and Ohio farms where avian influenza virus-infected cows were transported.
- ↑ Schnirring, Lisa (25 March 2024). "Sick cows in 2 states test positive for avian flu". University of Minnesota. CIDRAP. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
- 1 2 Hinds, Tom (22 January 2024). "Catastrophic Mortality of Elephant Seals in Argentina Identified as Outbreak of Avian Influenza". UC Davis. Veterinary Medecine. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
- ↑ Balla, Reemul (2 February 2023). "Bird flu found in nine otters and foxes since 2021". Sky News. Archived from the original on 3 February 2023. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
- ↑ Schnirring, Lisa (20 March 2024). "Avian flu detected for first time in US livestock". University of Minnesota. CIDRAP. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
- ↑ "Past Reported Global Human Cases with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) (HPAI H5N1) by Country, 1997-2024". cdc.gov. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
- ↑ Weston, Phoebe (2 January 2024). "Polar bear dies from bird flu as H5N1 spreads across globe". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 4 January 2024. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
- ↑ Rijks, Jolianne; Hesselink, Hanna; Lollinga, Pim; Wesselman, Renee; Prins, Pier; Weesendorp, Eefke; Engelsma, Marc; Heutink, Rene; Harders, Frank; Kik, Marja; Rozendaal, Harry; van den Kerkhof, Hans; Beerens, Nancy (November 2021). "Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Virus in Wild Red Foxes, the Netherlands, 2021". Emerging Infectious Diseases. 27 (11): 2960–2962. doi:10.3201/eid2711.211281. PMC 8544991 . PMID 34670656.
- ↑ Prater, Erin (8 February 2023). "The spillover of bird flu to mammals must be 'monitored closely,' WHO officials warn: 'We need to be ready to face outbreaks in humans'". Fortune. Archived from the original on 9 February 2023. Retrieved 9 February 2023.