Animal Virus Ecology and Evolution Are Shaped by the Virus Host-Body Infiltration and Colonization Pattern.

The current classification of animal viruses is largely based on the virus molecular world. Less attention is given to why and how virus fitness results from the success of virus transmission. Virus transmission reflects the infection-shedding-transmission dynamics, and with it, the organ system involvement and other, macroscopic dimensions of the host environment.

Drivers for emerging issues in animal and plant health.

The history of agriculture includes many animal and plant disease events that have had major consequences for the sector, as well as for humans. At the same time, human activities beyond agriculture have often driven the emergence of diseases. The more that humans expand the footprint of the global population, encroach into natural habitats, alter these habitats to extract resources and intensify food production, as well as move animals, people and commodities along with the pathogens they carry, the greater the potential for pathogens and pests to spread and for infection to emerge or re-emerge.

Pathogen-host-environment interplay and disease emergence.

Gaining insight in likely disease emergence scenarios is critical to preventing such events from happening. Recent focus has been on emerging zoonoses and on identifying common patterns and drivers of emerging diseases. However, no overarching framework exists to integrate knowledge on all emerging infectious disease events.

Animal health in the 21st century-a global challenge.

On the occasion of the centenary of the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, a conference entitled 'Animal Health in the 21st Century' was held in Greifswald, Germany, on 11-13 October 2010 to discuss current and future challenges regarding the global situation regarding infectious animal diseases and zoonoses, animal breeding, animal nutrition and animal welfare. Particular attention was paid to the impact of recent developments and anticipated future trends on livestock production.

Flying over an infected landscape: distribution of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 risk in South Asia and satellite tracking of wild waterfowl.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus persists in Asia, posing a threat to poultry, wild birds, and humans. Previous work in Southeast Asia demonstrated that HPAI H5N1 risk is related to domestic ducks and people. Other studies discussed the role of migratory birds in the long distance spread of HPAI H5N1.

Persistence of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus defined by agro-ecological niche.

The highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus has spread across Eurasia and into Africa. Its persistence in a number of countries continues to disrupt poultry production, impairs smallholder livelihoods, and raises the risk a genotype adapted to human-to-human transmission may emerge. While previous studies identified domestic duck reservoirs as a primary risk factor associated with HPAI H5N1 persistence in poultry in Southeast Asia, little is known of such factors in countries with different agro-ecological conditions, and no study has investigated the impact of such conditions on HPAI H5N1 epidemiology at the global scale.

Agro-ecological features of the introduction and spread of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 in northern Nigeria.

Nigeria was the first African country to report highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus outbreaks in February 2006 and has since been the most severely hit country in sub-Saharan Africa. A retrospective survey carried out towards the end of 2007, coupled with follow-up spatial analysis, support the notion that the H5N1 virus may have spread from rural areas of northern Nigeria near wetlands frequented by palaearctic migratory birds. Possibly, this could have happened already during November to December 2005, one or two months prior to the first officially reported outbreak in a commercial poultry farm (Kaduna state).

Avian influenza, domestic ducks and rice agriculture in Thailand.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) caused by H5N1 viruses has become a global scale problem which first emerged in southern China and from there spread to other countries in Southeast and East Asia, where it was first confirmed in end 2003. In previous work, geospatial analyses demonstrated that free grazing ducks played critical role in the epidemiology of the disease in Thailand in the winter 2004/2005, both in terms of HPAI emergence and spread. This study explored the geographic association between free grazing duck census counts and current statistics on the spatial distribution of rice crops in Thailand, in particular the crop calendar of rice production.

Mapping H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza risk in Southeast Asia.

The highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus that emerged in southern China in the mid-1990s has in recent years evolved into the first HPAI panzootic. In many countries where the virus was detected, the virus was successfully controlled, whereas other countries face periodic reoccurrence despite significant control efforts. A central question is to understand the factors favoring the continuing reoccurrence of the virus.

REMOTE SENSING, ECOLOGICAL VARIABLES, AND WILD BIRD MIGRATION RELATED TO OUTBREAKS OF HIGHLY PATHOGENIC H5N1 AVIAN INFLUENZA.

Outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 subtype have occurred in many countries across Asia, Europe, and Africa since 2003. Better understanding of the ecology and risk factors of HPAI is critical for surveillance, risk assessment, and public health policy. We introduce satellite remote sensing as one important tool, and highlight the potential of using satellite images to monitor dynamics of climate and landscapes that are related to wild bird migration and agriculture in the context of avian influenza transmission.

Anatidae migration in the western Palearctic and spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5NI virus.

During the second half of 2005, highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus spread rapidly from central Asia to eastern Europe. The relative roles of wild migratory birds and the poultry trade are still unclear, given that little is yet known about the range of virus hosts, precise movements of migratory birds, or routes of illegal poultry trade. We document and discuss the spread of the HPAI H5N1 virus in relation to species-specific flyways of Anatidae species (ducks, geese, and swans) and climate.

Free-grazing ducks and highly pathogenic avian influenza, Thailand.

Thailand has recently had 3 epidemic waves of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI); virus was again detected in July 2005. Risk factors need to be identified to better understand disease ecology and assist HPAI surveillance and detection. This study analyzed the spatial distribution of HPAI outbreaks in relation to poultry, land use, and other anthropogenic variables from the start of the second epidemic wave (July 2004-May 2005).