Host diversity and behavior determine patterns of interspecies transmission and geographic diffusion of avian influenza A subtypes among North American wild reservoir species

• Published in: PLoS pathogens Vol. 18; no. 4; p. e1009973
• Main Authors: Hicks, Joseph T., Edwards, Kimberly, Qiu, Xueting, Kim, Do-Kyun, Hixson, James E., Krauss, Scott, Webby, Richard J., Webster, Robert G., Bahl, Justin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 01.04.2022; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Animals; Animals, Wild; Avian flu; Biodiversity; Biology and Life Sciences; Birds; Breeding; Computer and Information Sciences; Datasets; Disease transmission; Earth Sciences; Ecology and Environmental Sciences; Evolution; Generalized linear models; Genetic aspects; Genetic distance; Genetic diversity; Genotype; Health aspects; Host range; Host-virus relationships; Identification and classification; Influenza; Influenza A; Influenza A virus; Influenza in Birds; Influenza viruses; Medicine and Health Sciences; North America - epidemiology; Pandemics; Phylogenetics; Population; Proteins; Social Sciences; Viruses; Zoonoses; North America; United States; Canada; Alberta Canada; United States > US; New Jersey; Delaware Bay
• ISSN: 1553-7374; 1553-7366; 1553-7374
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009973

Wild birds can carry avian influenza viruses (AIV), including those with pandemic or panzootic potential, long distances. Even though AIV has a broad host range, few studies account for host diversity when estimating AIV spread. We analyzed AIV genomic sequences from North American wild birds, including 303 newly sequenced isolates, to estimate interspecies and geographic viral transition patterns among multiple co-circulating subtypes. Our results show high transition rates within Anseriformes and Charadriiformes, but limited transitions between these orders. Patterns of transition between species were positively associated with breeding habitat range overlap, and negatively associated with host genetic distance. Distance between regions (negative correlation) and summer temperature at origin (positive correlation) were strong predictors of transition between locations. Taken together, this study demonstrates that host diversity and ecology can determine evolutionary processes that underlie AIV natural history and spread. Understanding these processes can provide important insights for effective control of AIV.