Water-borne transmission drives avian influenza dynamics in wild birds: the case of the 2005-2006 epidemics in the Camargue area.

Benjamin Roche (1) , Camille Lebarbenchon (1, 2) , Michel Gauthier-Clerc (2) , Chung-Ming Chang (3, 1) , Frédéric Thomas (1) , François Renaud (1) , Sylvie van Der Werf (3) , Jean-François Guégan (1, 4)

1 GEMI - Génétique et évolution des maladies infectieuses
2 Centre de recherche de la Tour du Valat
3 Génétique Moléculaire des Virus Respiratoires
4 French Center on Globalization and Infectious Diseases

Transmission and persistence of avian influenza viruses (AIV) among wildlife remains an unresolved issue because it depends both on the ecology of the host (e.g. population density, migration) and on the environment (e.g. AIV persistence in water). We have developed a mathematical model that accounts for both AIV epidemics and bird community dynamics. The model is parameterized using bird counts and AIV prevalence data. Results suggest that the transmission patterns driving the dynamics of infection at our study site (Camargue, South of France) involved both a density-dependent and a water-borne transmission processes. Water-borne transmission is, however, the main determinant of the disease dynamics and observed prevalence level. This pattern of transmission highlights the importance of the persistence of viral particles in water in AIV dynamics in wild birds.

Benjamin Roche, Camille Lebarbenchon, Michel Gauthier-Clerc, Chung-Ming Chang, Frédéric Thomas, et al.. Water-borne transmission drives avian influenza dynamics in wild birds: the case of the 2005-2006 epidemics in the Camargue area.. Infection, Genetics and Evolution, 2009, 9 (5), pp.800-5. ⟨10.1016/j.meegid.2009.04.009⟩. ⟨pasteur-00457555⟩