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H5N1 Confirmed in Northern Germany
Recombinomics Commentary
February 14, 2006
Two dead swans in Germany have tested positive for the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu, the Agriculture and Consumer Protection ministry said on Tuesday.
A spokeswoman for the ministry told Reuters two of four dead swans found on the Baltic Sea island of Ruegen had registered positive in an initial test for the virus.
The confirmation of H5N1 in northern Germany is cause for concern. H5N1 positive swans have been reported with increased frequency over the past several days. The reports centered more closely to the Mediterranean Sea. However, H5N1 in northern Germany suggest that H5N1 migrated into western Europe in the fall also.
Reports from Russia in August suggested that some H5N1 birds in northern Russia were migrating south (see map). H5N1 in northern Russia would link Asia to both western Europe and North America. Although both regions have denied H5N1 in the past, H5N1 in northern Germany raises significant credibility issues.
Although the level of H5N1 in Europe may have been lower than the areas around the Caspian or Black Sea, the number of reports of bird die-offs in the fall was significant. Like the Middle East and Africa, infections were said to not involve H5N1.
The latest reports suggest a significant local level of H5N1 throughout Europe. These conclusions are likely valid for the Middle East and Africa. As H5N1 migrates out of Africa, the H5N1 in long range migratory birds will interact with H5N1 that has spread through the non-migratory population. The merging of these two populations will generate more dual infections and recombination, leading to new sequences and new problems.
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