Serological Evidence of Backyard Pig Exposure to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N8 Virus during 2016–2017 Epizootic in France

• Published in: Pathogens (Basel) Vol. 10; no. 5; p. 621
• Main Authors: Hervé, Séverine, Schmitz, Audrey, Briand, François-Xavier, Gorin, Stéphane, Quéguiner, Stéphane, Niqueux, Éric, Paboeuf, Frédéric, Scoizec, Axelle, Le Bouquin-Leneveu, Sophie, Eterradossi, Nicolas, Simon, Gaëlle
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 18.05.2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Animal biology; Antibodies; Antigens; Aquatic birds; autumn; Avian flu; avian influenza; Biosecurity; Case Report; disease transmission; Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; Enzymes; Epidemics; epizootic diseases; Farms; France; Gadolinium; geese; Genotypes; hemagglutination; Hemagglutination inhibition; hemagglutination inhibition test; herds; Hogs; Influenza; Influenza A; Influenza A virus; influenza outbreak; Life Sciences; mixed herd; monitoring; Pandemics; Pathogens; Poultry; Poultry farming; Serology; Swine; Veterinary medicine and animal Health; Viruses; France; Europe; swine; poultry; influenza outbreak; hemagglutination inhibition test; mixed herd
• ISSN: 2076-0817; 2076-0817
• DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10050621

In autumn/winter 2016–2017, HPAI-H5N8 viruses belonging to the A/goose/Guandong/1/1996 (Gs/Gd) lineage, clade 2.3.4.4b, were responsible for outbreaks in domestic poultry in Europe, and veterinarians were requested to reinforce surveillance of pigs bred in HPAI-H5Nx confirmed mixed herds. In this context, ten pig herds were visited in southwestern France from December 2016 to May 2017 and serological analyses for influenza A virus (IAV) infections were carried out by ELISA and hemagglutination inhibition assays. In one herd, one backyard pig was shown to have produced antibodies directed against a virus bearing a H5 from clade 2.3.4.4b, suggesting it would have been infected naturally after close contact with HPAI-H5N8 contaminated domestic ducks. Whereas pigs and other mammals, including humans, may have limited sensitivity to HPAI-H5 clade 2.3.4.4b, this information recalls the importance of implementing appropriate biosecurity measures in pig and poultry farms to avoid IAV interspecies transmission, a prerequisite for co-infections and subsequent emergence of new viral genotypes whose impact on both animal and human health cannot be predicted.