Rapid GeneXpert surveillance of influenza A virus in seabirds and the environment provides early warning for wildlife health in Aotearoa New Zealand

Abstract

The global expansion of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus A(H5N1) underscores the need for rapid surveillance at high-risk wildlife interfaces. Taiaroa Head (45.7828{degrees} S, 170.7333{degrees} E) in the South Island of Aotearoa New Zealand hosts a plethora of aquatic wildlife including a large red-billed gull (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae scopulinus) colony as well as the only mainland breeding colony of northern royal albatross (Diomedea sanfordi). The Royal Albatross Centre is also a major nature tourism destination, attracting tens of thousands of visitors annually, thereby creating a dense ecological and human-wildlife interface vulnerable to viral incursion. We evaluated the GeneXpert II platform using the Xpert(R) Xpress Flu/RSV cartridge as a field-deployable tool for avian influenza virus detection in environmental and wildlife-associated samples. The assay detected synthetic influenza A viral RNA and multiple endemic low pathogenic avian influenza virus subtypes (A(H3N8), A(H1N9), A(H5N2) and A(H7N7)) circulating in New Zealand birds. Influenza A virus was reliably identified in spiked environmental water samples with no consistent PCR inhibition as well as naturally occurring avian influenza virus in duck pond water. Field deployment demonstrated that the system could be operated by non-laboratory personnel with minimal training in a non-clinical setting. This study establishes the feasibility of near-real-time environmental monitoring. Repurposing clinical cartridge-based point-of-care diagnostics offers a practical early warning approach for avian influenza virus surveillance at ecologically and economically significant locations.