Mallards and Avian Influenza Viruses, Northern Europe | CDC EID

From a new paper by Munster et al. in the upcoming issue of EID:

"Wild birds harbor the LPAI ancestral viruses of HPAI strains of poultry (and mammals). In our influenza A virus surveillance studies in wild birds in northern Europe, we detected numerous influenza A viruses of subtype H5 and H7 in Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos). We show that for each of the HPAI outbreaks that occurred in Europe since 1997, we have found close LPAI relatives in Mallards. Our observations indicate that influenza A virus surveillance in wild birds provides opportunities for pandemic preparation; the prototype influenza A viruses obtained from wild birds may guide production of vaccines as well as reagents to develop and validate diagnostic tests."