Michelle Wille

It took a while, and many many people, but the offflu wildlife working group has brought together a (MASSIVE) overview of avian influenza epi and surveillance, 2020-20
👉 offlu.org/publications...

Japanese quail infected w tribasic H9N2 - 🔻 egg production, 🔻 weight gain, but no mortality. quails exhibited a robust early antiviral response.
👉 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

HPAI H7N9 from China 2022 from 2 lineages. Differences in replication+ pathogenicity+virulence in chickens+mice. All isolates had MBCS, mutations linked to mammalian adaptation (eg HA186V), newly acquired glycosylation sites associated with immune evasion
👉 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Initial disease investigation that identified HPAI in cattle:
In March/April 2024 - unexpected morbidity + milk drop in Texas/New Mexico. 73/158 farms w milk drop. Birds + cats from farms +ve for HPAI, milk +ve for HPAI, and samples from cattle +ve.
👉 journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....

Does seasonal influenza vaccine against H5N1. Bioinfo analysis + serology. pre-existing immunity from vaccination or prior exposures may influence responses to this zoonotic threat
👉 journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....

Antiviral drugs against HPAI in mice: Oseltamivir= limited survival benefits. Baloxavir = fully protected mice. Favipiravir = partial protection. Amantadine = no benefits.
👉 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Diversity of RNA viruses in wild birds in Western Siberia. No detections for AIV or APMV, but detection or CoVs (1.4%) and AstroV (2.4%).
👉 link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Detection of an H6N2 virus containing both a NA and an complete internal gene casette from H9N2, which has facilitated cross species transmission. Widespread circulation in Eastern chinese poultry.
👉 www.journalofinfection.com/article/S016...

Baloxivir, across all dosing regimens improved survival and clinical outcomes in ferrets, protection 50-100%. 🔻virus shedding, lung pathology, and viremia, eliminated viral spread to the brain. Emergence of PA-E23K and PA-I38T.
👉 www.science.org/doi/full/10....

2022-25: diversity of genotypes of H5N1/H5N5 in birds and mammals of Svalbard. Sadly, great skuas impacted in the arctic. Evidence for repeated introduction into the region. Arctic foxes had PB2-E627K and PB1-H115Q mutations.
👉https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.02.17.706283v1.abstract

LPAI H3N1 caused unexpected levels of morbidity/mortality. NA S122N mutation drives recruitment of cellular plasminogen to proteolytically activate HA, and unusual HA sequence also at play.
👉https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/mbio.02466-25

HPAI H5N1 is a PC3 organism - how do we make it safe for PC2? Here, 0.1% and 0.2% beta-propiolactone and Buffer AVL with ethanol were successful in completely inactivating the HPAI in cell culture media and allantoic fluid.
👉 journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

HPAI has had enormous impacts: financial losses ranged from $1.14 million to $3881.87 million in Nigeria (2014–2016), with the later representing 0.43% of agricultural GDP, or $4.14 per person. Study doesn't have any data from the panzootic period.
👉 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

mAb-based ELISA assay to measure the potency of several candidate H5 clade 2.3.4.4b A/Astrakhan/3212/2020 influenza vaccines: strong correlation of ELISA potency with traditional SRID potency for a cell + one egg-based vaccine.
👉 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Since 1983, 2,888 confirmed AIV detections in Ireland. 98.7% in wild birds. H5N1 was the most prevalent subtype (96.7%) followed by H5N8 and H6N1, most cases in Dublin (testing + observer bias)
👉https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jgv/10.1099/jgv.0.002218

9 H8Nx from wild birds in South Korea 2019–2024. Most closely related to Asian viruses, with frequent reassortment.
👉 link.springer.com/article/10.1...

In S Korea: 23/24 had H5N6 + H5N1, and in 24/25 had H5N3+ H5N1. H5N3 an interesting reassortant, isolated from a N. Pintail. Viruses related to those from Eurasia, multiple genotypes. H5N6 HPAIVs appear to be circulating in East Asia alongside H5N1 viruses
👉 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1155/...

Comparison of LMMs for guidance on AIV. Gemini 1.5 Pro demonstrated the highest factual accuracy (91.2% fully correct responses), then Grok (85.3%), ChatGPT-4o (82.4%), DeepSeek R1 (82.4%). Tools for biosurveillance, risk communication, pandemic preparedness?
👉 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

bovine embryonic fibroblasts: 🔺 expression of α-2,3 + similar similar sialylation profile in bovine mammary tissue. Susceptible to 2022 H1N1pdm09-like IAV + resistant to 2009 H1N1pdm09 IAV as in mammary cells
👉 journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

Considerable impact of HPAI on both sandwich terns and black-headed gulls in 2022, due to EA-AB, in Denmark. 🔻 36% of sandwich terns. 3000 dead Black-headed gulls (1.8% of breeding population).
👉 www.sciencedirect.com/org/science/...

Once HPAI is in wild birds = few interventions. Carcass removal modelled: < 5% 🔻 in mortality across scenarios + effectiveness 🔻 as collection reduced. Carcass removal in early season could lessen risks for HPAI in chicks later in season.
👉 besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

HPAI detected in 3 skuas on Gough Island. Analysis of viral genomes suggests viral spread from South Georgia, and not Southern Africa.
👉https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/22221751.2026.2627076#d1e505

HPAI caused two fatal cluser infections in cats in Korea. Investigation of both cat dervied viruses and relatived avian viruses showed strong binding affinity to avian-type α2,3, and no detectable α2,6 binding.
👉https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21505594.2026.2636350#d1e555

Pathogenesis and transmissibility H5N1 B3.13 + D1.1 in cats. Replication initially in the upper respiratory tract and lungs, then systemic dissemination + neuroinvasion. Virus cross blood-brain barrier. D1.1 less disease and transmission vs B3.13.
👉 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

To better predict HPAI, we need to better understand where birds are. Here, global annual habitat map of AIV host birds 2000 -22. Important for maps to be updated regularly due to land use change and transformation, affecting birds.
👉https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ddi.70153

HPAI hotspot prediction model for the Netherlands using outbreak data from 2016-22. The best model generally matched lab confirmed HPAI cases, particularly in 2021-22, Nov-April.
👉https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0341829

Blow fly larvae collected from carcass of a california condor. Both the carcass and blow fly larvae were H5N1 positive. Could be useful to collect if tissues not in good enough condition for collection.
👉https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/10406387251415197

South Shetland Islands 2024-25: All samples -ve for AIV and CoV. Serology samples +ve for H1, H5, H6, H9 by HI. H5 antibodies found in 1 skua.
👉https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/18/2/248?

Longitudinal serologic + virologic surveillance of wild boars in Spain from 2015-23. 6% serum positive. seroprevalence remained stable 2015 -18, undetected 2019. increased significantly 2020-23. 1 H3N1 isolated.
👉https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/zph.70040

Metaanalyais of AIV ecology and prevalanece across 197 studies. In temperate regions, prev at ~5%, and in tropical regions ~2%. Also impacts of wet/dry in tropical areas. Different seasonal patterns in different regions
👉https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352771426000224?via%3Dihub