Abstract
Live bird markets (LBM) serve as a trading hub where diverse bird species are mixed under crowded conditions, facilitating the transmission, amplification, and circulation of avian influenza viruses (AIV). Therefore, we conducted weekly longitudinal surveillance in LBMs in Dhaka city to determine annual cyclic patterns of AIV subtypes, identifying the risk factors and role of climatic factors on the occurrence and persistence of H5 and H9 in LBM in Bangladesh. The circulation of H5, H9, and their co-circulation exhibit significant seasonal patterns throughout the year. The predicted risk of H5 was also higher in dead (86%) and sick birds (47%) than in healthy birds (15%). Waterfowl had higher odds of occurrence of H5 than chickens; however, H9 was more prevalent in chickens. Among chicken strains, H9 was predominantly found in Broiler chickens, but the detection rate of H5 was highest in the Sonali strain. From the environmental samples, we found that the risk of H5 contamination was significantly higher in slaughtering zones compared to bird-holding zones. Climatic factors like temperature and relative humidity were also significantly associated with weekly AIV circulation. An increase in temperature and relative humidity decreases the risk of H5 circulation. We found a significant number of infected sick and dead poultry selling in LBMs. This surveillance indicated year-round circulation of AIV with H5 and H9 subtypes in poultry in LBMs. The seasonality and health condition of birds influences H5 infection in poultry. We recommend adopting a One Health approach to integrated AIV surveillance across animal, human, and environmental interfaces to prevent the epidemic and pandemic of H5Nx.
Co-Author(s)
Ariful Islam1,2,3, Tiasha Ali4, Emama Amin4, Shariful Islam4, Monjurul Islam4, Abdullah Al-Mamun4, Md Ziaur Rahman5, Jade K. Forwood1,2, Mohammad Enayet Hossain5, Tahmina Shirin4, Jonathan H Epstein3
1Biosecurity Research Program and Training Centre, Gulbali Institute, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW-2678, Australia; 2Training Hub Promoting Regional Industry and Innovation in Virology and Epidemiology, Gulbali Institute, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW-2678, Australia; 3EcoHealth Alliance, New York, NY 10018, USA; 4Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), Dhaka, Bangladesh; 5One Health Laboratory, International Centre for Diarrheal Diseases Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Bangladesh
Abstract Category
Notable outbreaks, field and molecular epidemiology, and surveillance in poultry