The feather epithelium contributes to the dissemination of HPAI in ducks
In a study recently published in the international journal Emerging Microbes & Infections researchers from UMR IHAP (ENVT/INRAE – Chair of Avian Biosafety and Health) in Toulouse show that duck feathers constitute an alternative source for the multiplication and diffusion of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAI) in the environment. Through a multidisciplinary approach that combines the analysis of infection cases in the field and experimental infections conducted in the laboratory in collaboration with the Animal Health Research Center (CRESA) in Barcelona, the researchers demonstrated that feathers of ducks infected with HPIV of the H5 subtype produce and release infectious viral particles massively through the desquamation of the epithelium. These viral particles are found in association with feather debris in airborne matrices (dust/aerosols) from infected farms.
This route of excretion appears significant in palmipeds but marginal in galliforms, such as chickens. In addition to the digestive and respiratory excretion routes, which have been known for decades, these data prompt a reassessment of the risks associated with the diffusion and persistence of avian influenza viruses, and therefore the control strategies, especially at a time when vaccination is being widely applied in duck farms in France.
