To evaluate how avian influenza virus (AIV) circulates among the avifauna of the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic islands, we surveyed 14 species of birds from Marion, Livingston and Gough islands. A competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was carried out on the sera of 147 birds. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was used to detect the AIV genome from 113 oropharyngeal and 122 cloacal swabs from these birds. The overall seroprevalence to AIV infection was 4.8%, with the only positive results coming from brown skuas (Catharacta antarctica) (4 out of 18, 22%) and southern giant petrels (Macronectes giganteus) (3 out of 24, 13%). Avian influenza virus antibodies were detected in birds sampled from Marion and Gough islands, with a higher seroprevalence on Marion Island (P = 0.014) and a risk ratio of 11.29 (95% confidence interval: 1.40–91.28) compared to Gough Island. The AIV genome was not detected in any of the birds sampled. These results confirm that AIV strains are uncommon among Antarctic and sub-Antarctic predatory seabirds, but they may suggest that scavenging seabirds are the main avian reservoirs and spreaders of this virus in the Southern Ocean. Further studies are necessary to determine the precise role of these species in the epidemiology of AIV.

中文翻译：

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南极和亚南极野生鸟类甲型流感病毒的血清学和分子调查

为了评估禽流感病毒 (AIV) 如何在南极和亚南极岛屿的鸟类群中传播，我们调查了来自马里昂、利文斯顿和高夫岛的 14 种鸟类。对 147 只鸡的血清进行了竞争性酶联免疫吸附试验。定量逆转录聚合酶链反应用于检测来自这些鸟类的 113 份口咽和 122 份泄殖腔拭子的 AIV 基因组。AIV 感染的总体血清阳性率为 4.8%，唯一的阳性结果来自褐贼鸥（南极猫）（18 人中有 4 人，22%）和南方巨海燕（大鲶鱼)（24 人中有 3 人，13%）。在从马里恩岛和高夫岛取样的鸟类中检测到禽流感病毒抗体，其中马里恩岛的血清阳性率较高（磷= 0.014），与 Gough 岛相比，风险比为 11.29（95% 置信区间：1.40–91.28）。在采样的任何鸟类中均未检测到 AIV 基因组。这些结果证实 AIV 毒株在南极和亚南极掠食性海鸟中并不常见，但它们可能表明食腐海鸟是该病毒在南大洋的主要鸟类宿主和传播者。需要进一步的研究来确定这些物种在 AIV 流行病学中的确切作用。