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The Potential Distance of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus Dispersal by Mallard, Common Teal and Eurasian Pochard

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Abstract

Waterbirds represent the major natural reservoir for low pathogenic (LP) avian influenza viruses (AIV). Among the wide diversity of subtypes that have been described, two of them (H5 and H7) may become highly pathogenic (HP) after their introduction into domestic bird populations and cause severe outbreaks, as is the case for HP H5N1 in South-Eastern Asia. Recent experimental studies demonstrated that HP H5N1 AIV infection in ducks does not necessarily have significant pathological effects. These results suggest that wild migratory ducks may asymptomatically carry HP AIV and potentially spread viruses over large geographical distances. In this study, we investigated the potential spreading distance of HP AIV by common teal (Anas crecca), mallard (A. platyrhynchos), and Eurasian pochard (Aythya ferina). Based on capture-mark-recapture method, we characterized their wintering movements from a western Mediterranean wetland (Camargue, South of France) and identified the potential distance and direction of virus dispersal. Such data may be crucial in determining higher-risk areas in the case of HP AIV infection detection in this major wintering quarter, and may serve as a valuable reference for virus outbreaks elsewhere.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are most grateful to Luc Hoffmann, Hubert Kowalski, Heinz Hafner, Alan Johnson, and others who ringed ducks at the Tour du Valat for 25 years. We also thank Marc Lutz, Paul Isenmann, and the Centre de Recherche sur la Biologie des Populations d’Oiseaux (Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris) for their help computerizing the Tour du Valat ringing database. Two anonymous referees provided useful comments on an earlier version of the manuscript. A.L. Brochet was funded by a Doctoral grant from Office National de la Chasse et de la Faune Sauvage, with additional funding from a research agreement between ONCFS, the Tour du Valat, Laboratoire de Biométrie et de Biologie Evolutive (UMR 5558 CNRS Université Lyon 1) and the Doñana Biological Station (CSIC). Camille Lebarbenchon was supported by a “Région Languedoc-Roussillon – Tour du Valat” PhD grant during this study. This work also received funding from the Agence Nationale de la Recherche through the Santé Environnement - Santé Travail scheme (contract number 2006-SEST-22), the European Union’s Framework Program for Research and Technological Development (FP6) (NEW-FLUBIRD project, contract number FP6-2005-SSP5B Influenza), and from the Agence Interorganisme pour la Recherche et le Développement.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Anne-Laure Brochet

    Present address: Office National de la Chasse et de la Faune Sauvage, Unité Sanitaire de la Faune, 01330, Birieux, France

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre de Recherche de La Tour du Valat, Le Sambuc, 13200, Arles, France

    Anne-Laure Brochet, Camille Lebarbenchon, Géraldine Simon & Michel Gauthier-Clerc

  2. Office National de la Chasse et de la Faune Sauvage, Unité Sanitaire de la Faune, 01330, Birieux, France

    Matthieu Guillemain

  3. GEMI, UMR CNRS/IRD 2724, IRD, 911 Avenue Agropolis, BP 64501, 34394, Montpellier Cedex 5, France

    Camille Lebarbenchon, François Renaud & Frédéric Thomas

  4. Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS UMR 5558 Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, Bâtiment 711, 43 Bd du 11 novembre 1918, 69622, Villeurbanne Cedex, France

    Hervé Fritz

  5. Department of Wetland Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana-CSIC, C/ Américo Vespucio s/n, 41092, Sevilla, Spain

    Andy J. Green

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  1. Anne-Laure Brochet
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Anne-Laure Brochet.

Appendix

Appendix

Median distance (D in km) and azimuth (A in decimal degrees) of recoveries for mallard (a), Eurasian pochard (b), and common teal (c), ringed during each month of the winter. Numbers in brackets give minimum and maximum values. Note that sample size (n) may be lower for azimuth than for distance travelled because, when birds were recovered at the ringing site itself, distance = 0 but azimuth could not be computed.

Month

No. of days since ringing

0–10 days

11–20 days

21–30 days

(a)

September

D

11.0 (0.0/19.6), n = 7

14.6 (0.0/,20.7) n = 4

No data

A

−90.0 (−106.4/144.3), n = 5

−51.1 (−51.1/144.0), n = 3

No data

October

D

7.8 (0.0/24.0), n = 8

10.1 (5.5/45.1), n = 3

7.7 (5.5/7.7), n = 3

A

111.5 (−89.9/111.5), n = 5

47.4 (23.5/47.4), n = 3

44.1 (44.0/47.4), n = 3

November

D

0.0 (0.0/20.6), n = 19

8.6 (0.0/30.3), n = 14

0.0 (0.0/18.3), n = 3

A

154.2 (−90.0/154.2), n = 9

−90.0 (−90.0/154.2), n = 11

144.0, n = 1

December

D

3.3 (0.0/225.5), n = 35

2.7 (0.0/134.9), n = 13

3.9 (0.0/153.1), n = 14

A

−90.0 (−137.8/180.0), n = 23

−90.0 (−114.7/−23.5), n = 10

115.0 (-115.3/144), n = 10

January

D

7.9 (0.0/369.5), n = 24

11.0 (0.0/450.7), n = 18

11.1 (0.0/488.4), n = 15

A

−175.9 (−160.0/168.3), n = 18

149.8 (−90.0/149.8), n = 15

149.8 (−106.4/154.2), n = 12

February

D

2.7 (0.0/19.1), n = 7

1.3 (0.0/5.5), n = 6

201.2 (10.7/391.8), n = 2

A

−90.0 (−144.0/39.1), n = 6

−90.0 (−90.0/47.4), n = 4

98.7 (47.6/149.8), n = 2

March

D

2.3 (0.0/644.9), n = 7

No data

No data

A

141.9 (−144.0/67.9), n = 4

No data

No data

(b)

September

D

No data

No data

No data

A

No data

No data

No data

October

D

4.6, n = 1

No data

No data

A

−35.9, n = 1

No data

No data

November

D

16.3 (6.2/20.9), n = 5

16.3 (16.3/16.3), n = 2

382.5, n = 1

A

−55.3 (−105.3/154.2), n = 5

−55.3 (−55.3/−55.3), n = 2

−78.9, n = 1

December

D

9.2 (3.3/74.2), n = 5

2.7 (1.9/252.4), n = 3

4.6, n = 1

A

154.2 (−105.3/154.2), n = 4

2.9 (−90.0/ 2.9), n = 3

−35.9, n = 1

January

D

11.3 (0.0/19.7), n = 6

12.7 (4.6/20.9), n = 4

19.8 (0.0/39.7), n = 2

A

−54.3 (−160.1/−48.6), n = 4

−70.971.1 (−105.3/−35.9), n = 4

−79.1, n = 1

February

D

1.9 (0.0/14.8), n = 5

0.0 n = 1

17.6 (3.3/20.7), n = 3

A

89.9 (-55.4/89.9), n = 3

No data

55.4 (−51.1/55.4), n = 3

March

D

0.7 (0.0/2.7), n = 4

0.9 (0.0/1.9), n = 2, n = 1

6.2, n = 1

A

−90.0, n = 1

No data

−25.8, n = 1

(c)

September

D

11.4 (4.4/18.3), n = 2

32.6 (13.2/51.9), n = 2

268.8 (54.6/483.6), n = 2

A

−165.3 (−114.7/144.0), n = 2

−135.6 (−79.5/168.3), n = 2

−80.3 (−84.6/−75.9), n = 2

October

D

8.3 (0.0/99.1), n = 8

10.9 (2.7/18.6), n = 5

2.7, n = 1

A

−95.7 (−101.5/168.3), n = 6

−90.0 (−90.0/168.3), n = 5

−90.0, n = 1

November

D

2.5 (0.0/26.4), n = 18

165.8 (0.0/1149.1), n = 18

169.3 (2.7/482.9), n = 26

A

−144.0 (−144.0/154.2), n = 11

−92.7 (−104.1/88.1), n = 17

−115.3 (−138.1/173.1), n = 26

December

D

6.7 (0.0/911.0), n = 169

146.3 (0.0/578.5), n = 103

216.1 (0.0/1004.0), n = 71

A

−103.3 (−144/180.0), n = 107

−99.4 (−151.0/171.7), n = 94

−93.7 (−139.2/171.1), n = 68

January

D

24.2 (0.0/807.9), n = 200

171.9 (0.0/940.7), n = 128

252.1 (0.0/894.4), n = 143

A

−117.7 (−160.0/173.1), n = 192

−125.3 (−162.1/173.1), n = 118

161.2 (−141.8/168.3), n = 136

February

D

18.6 (0.0/843.1), n = 155

170.7 (0.0/726.6), n = 57

282.1 (0.0/738.7), n = 53

A

95.5 (−160.0/168.3), n = 139

90.7 (−144.0/168.3), n = 54

73.4 (−160.0/180), n = 51

March

D

22.8 (2.1/711.4), n = 43

416.2 (0.0/1107.1), n = 29

424.9 (2.3/930.7), n = 11

A

75.7 (−144.7/171.7), n = 43

66.4 (−144.0/154.2), n = 28

64.9 (−144.0/173.1), n = 11

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Brochet, AL., Guillemain, M., Lebarbenchon, C. et al. The Potential Distance of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus Dispersal by Mallard, Common Teal and Eurasian Pochard. EcoHealth 6, 449–457 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-010-0275-4

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