Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A (H5N1) Suspected in penguins and shags on the Antarctic Peninsula and West Antarctic Coast

Fabiola León; Céline Le Bohec; Eduardo J. Pizarro; Loïcka Baille; Robin Cristofari; Aymeric Houstin; Daniel Paranhos Zitterbart; Gonzalo P. Barriga; Élie Poulin; Juliana A. Vianna

doi:10.1101/2024.03.16.585360

GeneticsbioRxivMar 16, 2024

Preprint

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A (H5N1) Suspected in penguins and shags on the Antarctic Peninsula and West Antarctic Coast

Fabiola León, Céline Le Bohec iD, Eduardo J. Pizarro iD, Loïcka Baille iD, Robin Cristofari iD, Aymeric Houstin iD, Daniel Paranhos Zitterbart iD, Gonzalo P. Barriga iD, Élie Poulin iD, Juliana A. Vianna iD

Abstract

Suspected cases of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N1) were detected in Adelie penguins and Antarctic shags at the southernmost latitude so far in Antarctica, at two breeding sites out of 13 visited, using highly specific PCR assay. These first records mark the progression of the H5N1 panzootic into Antarctica.

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