The ecology of avian influenza virus in wild birds: what does this mean for poultry?

As natural hosts for avian influenza virus (AIV), wild birds, particularly aquatic birds, are the primary reservoir for transmission of AIV to domestic poultry. Therefore, understanding the dissemination and maintenance of AIV in wild birds is important for understanding the factors that contribute to transmission of AIV from wild birds to poultry. However, relatively little is known about the ecology of the virus in wild birds, and the depth of data are inconsistent worldwide. Also, the biology of the virus itself is very important, because AIV is highly adaptable to different hosts and likely to the environment as well. Some insight may be gained from the Asian H5N1 highly pathogenic AIV lineage, because surveillance for this virus has increased considerably in wild birds worldwide since 2005. Also, numerous species that have not previously been represented in AIV testing have been included in surveillance for the Asian H5N1 highly pathogenic AIV, allowing for a more complete understanding of the distribution of AIV in wild birds.