ETIDIOH - NEW

Abstract We report highly pathogenic avian influenza H5 virus infection in 10 Northern Fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) found dead throughout January and February 2024 in the Netherlands . Five birds were infected with the H5N5 subtype , notable for markers of adaptation to mammals . Continuous infectious disease surveillance remains important in wild birds. Source: US National Library of Medicine,  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40223286/ ____

On January 24, 2025 , the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) was notified of mortality in a non-commercial backyard layer poultry farm in Newfoundland and Labrador. The CFIA National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease has confirmed on February 12, 2025 that the virus was H5N5 . The HA of the H5 virus from the samples belongs to Eurasian Gs/GD lineage HPAI H5N1 (2.3.4.4b) with cleavage site motif of “PLREKRRKR/GLF”, compatible with HPAI viruses. The sample contained AI virus similar to European like - H5N5 (2023) viruses which came to Canada via the Atlantic flyway . The viruses contained wholly Eurasian H5N5 genome segments . The CFIA has immediately quarantined the IP and is implementing strict movement controls and a stamping out policy. Primary control zone (PCZ) has been put in place around the IP. Surveillance is ongoing in the affected areas. WOAH data on poultry and non-poultry can be visualized and extracted on the AI dashboard in domestic birds available at https://cahss.ca...

ABSTRACT We present the first documented case of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) subtype H5N5 in an Atlantic walrus (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus). The animal was found dead in Svalbard , Norway, in 2023. Sequence analysis revealed the highest genetic similarity with virus isolates from different avian hosts. Source: Emerging Microbes and Infections,  https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/22221751.2025.2456146 _____

 Wild Laridae birds in Schleswig-Holstein Region. Source: WOAH,  https://wahis.woah.org/#/in-review/6196 _____

 {Original text in Icelandic, translated, edited.} The Icelandic University of Iceland's Pathology Laboratory at Keldur notified the Icelandic Food and Veterinary Authority on January 6 that a kitten that arrived at the laboratory for autopsy had been diagnosed with a severe strain of avian influenza (H5N5).  This is the same strain that has been detected in wild birds in Iceland since September last year and on one poultry farm in early December.  The Icelandic Food and Veterinary Authority immediately issued instructions for disease control to prevent the spread of the infection and is now working to trace the infection .  Symptoms of the disease in this cat included loss of appetite, weakness, stiffness, tremors, seizures and other neurological symptoms .  Cat owners are asked to contact a veterinarian immediately if they notice such symptoms in their cats. The cat diagnosed with bird flu was a 10-week-old kitten that died on December 22. The littermate the k...

Three cats (one adult female and two 10 week old kittens) from the same household died on December 20., 21. and 22. after they had been ill for only a few days . The main clinical signs were lethargy, anorexia, cramps and stiffness . Other kittens from the same litter had been rehomed before those three got sick and they have not shown any symptoms. The most probable source of infection is wild birds . HPAI H5N5 have been diagnosed in a few wild birds in Iceland since September last year. Source: WOAH,  https://wahis.woah.org/#/in-review/6168 ____

 A wild Northern Fulmar in Danish Exclusive Economic Zone (Greenland). Source: WOAH,  https://wahis.woah.org/#/in-review/6172 _____

Abstract Wild birds are important hosts of influenza A viruses (IAVs) and play an important role in their ecology. The emergence of the A/goose/Guangdong/1/1996 H5N1 (Gs/GD) lineage marked a shift in IAV ecology, leading to recurrent outbreaks and mortality in wild birds from 2002 onwards. This lineage has evolved and diversified over time, with a recent important derivative being the 2.3.4.4b sub-lineage, which has caused significant mortality events in wild bird populations. An H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b virus was transmitted into North America from Eurasia in 2021, with the first detection being in Newfoundland and Labrador in Atlantic Canada , and this virus and its reassortants then spread broadly throughout North America and beyond. Following the first 2021 detection, there have been three additional known incursions of Eurasian-origin strains into Atlantic Canada, a second H5N1 strain in 2022 and two H5N5 strains in 2023 . In this study, we document a fifth incursion in Atlantic Canada...

 A wild Eurasian Lynx in Troms Og Finnmark. Source: WOAH,  https://wahis.woah.org/#/in-review/6117 _____

 {Excerpt} Abstract   Between 21 September and 6 December 2024 , 657 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) and A(H5N5) virus detections were reported in domestic (341) and wild (316) birds across 27 countries in Europe . Many HPAI outbreaks in domestic birds were clustered in areas with high poultry density and characterised by secondary farm-to-farm spread . Waterfowl , particularly the mute swan , were primarily affected during this reporting period, with HPAI virus detections focused on south-eastern Europe . Notably, A(H5N5) viruses expanded their geographic and host range, resulting in a surge in detections and mortality events described in gulls and crows . No new HPAI virus detections in mammals were reported in Europe during this reporting period, but the number of dairy cattle farms reportedly affected in the United States of America (USA) rose to > 800 in 16 States, and HPAI virus was identified in two pigs in a mixed-species farm. Between 21 September ...