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Journal of General Virology header logo Journal of General Virology

Volume 105, Issue 7

Red knots in Europe: a dead end host species or a new niche for highly pathogenic avian influenza? Open Access

Abstract

The 2020/2021 epidemic in Europe of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) of subtype H5 surpassed all previously recorded European outbreaks in size, genotype constellations and reassortment frequency and continued into 2022 and 2023. The causative 2.3.4.4b viral lineage proved to be highly proficient with respect to reassortment with cocirculating low pathogenic avian influenza viruses and seems to establish an endemic status in northern Europe. A specific HPAIV reassortant of the subtype H5N3 was detected almost exclusively in red knots () in December 2020. It caused systemic and rapidly fatal disease leading to a singular and self-limiting mass mortality affecting about 3500 birds in the German Wadden Sea, roughly 1 % of the entire flyway population of red knots. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that the H5N3 reassortant very likely had formed in red knots and remained confined to this species. While mechanisms of virus circulation in potential reservoir species, dynamics of spill-over and reassortment events and the roles of environmental virus sources remain to be identified, the year-round infection pressure poses severe threats to endangered avian species and prompts adaptation of habitat and species conservation practices.

  • Received:
  • Accepted:
  • Published Online:
Keyword(s): H5N3 , highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) , mortality , reassortant and red knot (Calidris canutus islandica)
Funding
This study was supported by the:
  • EU Horizon 2020 (Award 874735)
    • Principle Award Recipient: MartinBeer
© 2024 The Authors
  • This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.
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2024-07-08
2025-06-13
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Red knots in Europe: a dead end host species or a new niche for highly pathogenic avian influenza?
J. Gen. Virol. 105, 002003 (2024); https://doi.org/10.1099/jgv.0.002003
/content/journal/jgv/10.1099/jgv.0.002003
/content/journal/jgv/10.1099/jgv.0.002003
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