Environmental #monitoring and spatiotemporal #trend #analysis of avian #influenza virus in #Xinjiang, 2021-2023

Abstract

Background

Avian influenza, a significant threat to public health, requires monitoring for the development of control strategies. This study aims to analyze the spatiotemporal distribution of avian influenza virus in the external environment of Xinjiang from 2021 to 2023, to enhance understanding of its transmission patterns and provide a scientific basis for public health response measures.

Methods

A total of 3913 avian-related environmental samples were collected from nine monitoring areas in Xinjiang. Sample types included poultry drinking water, meat cutting boards, cage surfaces, feces, and wastewater. Real-time RT-PCR was used to detect nucleic acid for H5, H7, and H9 subtypes. Data were statistically analyzed using Excel and SPSS, and spatial distribution was visualized through Kriging interpolation using ArcGIS.

Results

Among the collected samples, 810 tested positive, with an overall positivity rate of 20.70%. The H9 subtype was predominant, accounting for 85.43% of positive samples. Significant differences in detection rates were observed across different years, regions, sample types, and monitoring sites. Temporally, the positive rate showed an upward trend from 2021 to 2023, with higher positive rates in January and July. Geographically, Aksu, Turpan, and Ili were identified as high-risk areas. Urban and rural live poultry markets had the highest positivity rate (24.31%), and poultry drinking water, cage surfaces, and cleaning wastewater samples showed relatively high detection rates. Kriging analysis revealed several high-risk zones for virus presence.

Conclusion

This study provides crucial information for understanding the epidemiological characteristics of avian influenza virus in the external environment of Xinjiang. The H9 subtype was found to be predominant, with notable seasonal and regional variations. Live poultry markets were identified as key risk sites. These findings underscore the need for continuous surveillance and offer theoretical support for developing targeted prevention and control strategies. However, the limited scope of monitoring suggests that broader and longer-term studies are needed to better understand subtype interactions and epidemic risks.

Source: BMC Infectious Diseases, https://bmcinfectdis.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12879-025-11155-3

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Characteristics of the first confirmed case of #human #infection with #mpox virus clade Ib in #China

Abstract

Mpox clade Ib is significant as it is associated with human cases and plays a key role in understanding the transmission and public health implications of mpox outbreaks. Here we present a case report of the first confirmed human infection of clade Ib in China, which occurred in December 2025 in Zhejiang Province. The case was a 28-year-old woman from South Africa who had sexual contact with an asymptomatic man from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She presented with disseminated vesicular lesions on the extremities, face, buttocks, trunk, palms, and dorsum of the hands, but lesions were absent from the oral cavity, perineum, and anus. By the 18th day post-onset (DPO), only vesicles remained on the dorsum of the right foot and in the finger web spaces, with complete resolution by the 24th DPO. Among 59 consecutive samples collected, 55 tested positive for mpox virus. Oropharyngeal swabs turned negative by the 16th DPO, while skin lesion samples, urine samples, and scab specimens remained positive through the 20th DPO. Consecutive scab samples consistently exhibited high viral loads. In total, 211 contacts of the symptomatic patient were identified, and no secondary cases occurred. This study underscores the importance of multisite sampling for diagnostic sensitivity, highlights the transmission risk associated with asymptomatic sexual contact, and emphasizes the need for refined contact definitions and management strategies. Further research is needed to explore infection risks across different types of exposure.

Source: Nature Communications, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-60217-2

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