Skuas mortalities linked to positives HPAIV A/H5 beyond Polar Antarctic Circle

Abstract

The ongoing extinction crisis, driven by human activity, poses a significant threat to seabirds and its especially relevant in highly valuable environments such as Antarctica. Among these threats, seabirds face the risk of local extinctions due to emerging infectious diseases like the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus (HPAIV).Progressive spread of HPAIV A/H5N1 outbreaks across South America and the sub-Antarctic islands have been detected, reaching the northern regions of the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) during the 2023-2024 season. Here we conducted a comprehensive epidemiological survey conducted on sixteen seabird nesting localities along the WAP from November 2024 to January 2025 to assess the health status of the Antarctic seabirds and detect the presence of HPAIV. We observed unusual mortalities among nesting populations of skuas, with a total of 35 deaths skuas recorded along the WAP and beyond the Antarctic Polar Circle, including Important bird breeding areas around Margarita Bay. HPAIV A/H5 was confirmed in all dead skuas sampled (n=11), from six different locations. This finding represents the southernmost record of seabird mortality in Antarctica related to HPAIV to date. The expansion of HPAIV observed here raises concerns about further spread of avian flu out the Antarctic Peninsula, potentially leading to increased mortality rates in the Antarctic bird populations. These findings are relevant for the assessment of the general health status of Antarctic seabird populations and provide a baseline for the continuous monitoring of the HPAIV spread in avian species during the next breeding seasons.