Acute H5 in Norfolk England
Recombinomics Commentary
November 12, 2007
The agency said all birds on the infected premises will be culled, including approximately 5,000 turkey, 500 geese and over 1,000 ducks.
"It does however appear to be early disease from the acute phase but how long the disease has been present on the premises we will need to establish as part of the epidemiological investigation."
The above comments provide further support for a recent infection of Norfolk poultry by Qinghai H5N1 from wild birds. Since the outbreak is described as “acute” it is likely that the number of fatal infections is high, and the infectious agent is highly pathogenic H5, which is almost certainly Qinghai (clade 2.2) H5N1.
The waterfowl at the farm also provides a link to migratory birds, which transport and transmit H5N1. All recent H5N1 outbreaks west of China have been the Qinghai strain of H5N1, including the recent massive outbreaks in Germany. The dead and dying birds were almost exclusively wild birds infected with a Qinghai sub-clade that had been previously reported in massive outbreaks in Tyva and Mongolia, and most recently in Krasnodar.
At this time of the year, Migration of wild birds increases the likelihood of spread and new outbreaks. Detection of Qinghai H5N1 in lie wild birds has been a challenge. Most of the H5N1 reports in Europe have involved wild birds, but H5 antibodies were recently detected in birds from farms in Germany, further signaling the presence of H5N1 in wild birds in the region.
It is likely that the H5 in England is H5N1 and it is widespread in Europe. More reports of H5N1 outbreaks are expected.
Media Links
Recombinomics Presentations
Recombinomics Publications
Recombinomics Paper at Nature Precedings