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Science 21 April 2006:
Vol. 312. no. 5772, pp. 384 - 388
DOI: 10.1126/science.1122438
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Review

Global Patterns of Influenza A Virus in Wild Birds

Björn Olsen,1,2 Vincent J. Munster,3 Anders Wallensten,4,5 Jonas Waldenström,6 Albert D. M. E. Osterhaus,3 Ron A. M. Fouchier3*

The outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza of the H5N1 subtype in Asia, which has subsequently spread to Russia, the Middle East, Europe, and Africa, has put increased focus on the role of wild birds in the persistence of influenza viruses. The ecology, epidemiology, genetics, and evolution of pathogens cannot be fully understood without taking into account the ecology of their hosts. Here, we review our current knowledge on global patterns of influenza virus infections in wild birds, discuss these patterns in the context of host ecology and in particular birds' behavior, and identify some important gaps in our current knowledge.

1 Department of Infectious Diseases, Umeå University, SE-90187 Umeå, Sweden.
2 Section for Zoonotic Ecology and Epidemiology, Department of Biology and Environmental Science, University of Kalmar, SE-39182 Kalmar, Sweden.
3 Department of Virology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands.
4 Smedby Health Center, Kalmar County Council, SE-39471 Kalmar, Sweden.
5 Division of Virology, Department of Molecular and Clinical Medicine (IMK) Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping University, SE-581 85 Linköping, Sweden.
6 Department of Animal Ecology, Lund University, SE-22362 Lund, Sweden.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: r.fouchier{at}erasmusmc.nl

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