Analysis carried out by the Royal Veterinary School and One Well being Poultry Hub
1 Could 2024
3 minute learn
New analysis from the International Challenges Analysis Fund’s (GCRF) One Well being Poultry Hub, together with researchers from the Royal Veterinary School (RVC) has, for the primary time, modelled the transmission of avian influenza, generally referred to as chook flu, revealing the pace at which it may well unfold in Asia’s stay chook markets. The findings will assist researchers consider the affect of potential management measures to cut back H9N2 (a subtype of avian influenza) in markets.
H9N2 is a zoonotic virus that’s outlined as low pathogenic and causes delicate illnesses that may result in manufacturing losses for hen farmers. Genes from H9N2 have nonetheless, additionally been discovered within the emergence of latest influenza virus variants, making it a possible pandemic risk with its first human an infection reported in Vietnam in April 2024.
Printed in Nature Communications, researchers from the RVC; College of Oxford; Metropolis College of Hong Kong, China; Chattogram Veterinary and Animal Sciences College, Bangladesh; and the French Nationwide Analysis Institute for Agriculture, Meals and the Surroundings, used organic knowledge obtained from chickens in stay chook markets and a pc modelling system to find out the transmission price.
Whereas earlier makes an attempt to mannequin avian influenza have been theoretical, this research discovered that:
- Greater than 9 in 10 chickens that enter stay chook markets with out having been beforehand uncovered to the H9N2 subtype of avian influenza virus turn into contaminated with it, ought to they continue to be there for sooner or later
- The time between a chook being contaminated with H9N2 and it turning into contagious might be lower than 5 and a half hours in a stay chook market
- One in 10 birds arrive at stay chook markets already uncovered to H9N2
These findings observe further new analysis from the GCRF One Well being Poultry Hub, which has discovered that two to 3 in 10 chickens in stay chook markets in Bangladesh and Vietnam, check optimistic for H9N2.
At the moment, veterinary public well being interventions to restrict and stop the unfold of the virus concentrate on addressing the illness within the markets, together with banning the storage of birds in a single day, imposing market ‘relaxation days’ and separating chook species within the markets. The findings from this analysis nonetheless, can now be used to tell the first-of-its-kind EPIdemic Community Simulation in Poultry Transportation Methods (EPINEST) pc mannequin to map and monitor avian influenza virus unfold throughout time and area.
“Our analysis means that except any sensible measures designed to guard market merchants and consumers are complemented by interventions within the networks and provide chains that ship the birds to market – they’re unlikely to have sufficient affect,” stated Guillaume Fournié, researcher on the RVC and INRAE. “To achieve success a pandemic prevention technique should additionally goal hen farmers and transporters in nations the place the virus is endemic with a purpose to cut back viral burden in markets.”
“Our findings make a transparent case for contemplating multi-pronged interventions, together with vaccination methods for all poultry destined on the market in stay chook markets,” he added.
The GCRF One Well being Poultry Hub is funded by UK Analysis and Innovation via the GCRF. It’s a part of the UK’s Official Improvement Help, which is managed by the Division for Science, Innovation and Expertise.
