Avian influenza H5N1 in viverrids: implications for wildlife health and conservation.

The Asian countries chronically infected with avian influenza A H5N1 are 'global hotspots' for biodiversity conservation in terms of species diversity, endemism and levels of threat. Since 2003, avian influenza A H5N1 viruses have naturally infected and killed a range of wild bird species,...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Roberton, S, Bell, D, Smith, G, Nicholls, J, Chan, K, Nguyen, D, Tran, P, Streicher, U, Poon, L, Chen, H, Horby, P, Guardo, M, Guan, Y, Peiris, J
Format: Journal article
Language:English
Published: 2006
Description
Summary:The Asian countries chronically infected with avian influenza A H5N1 are 'global hotspots' for biodiversity conservation in terms of species diversity, endemism and levels of threat. Since 2003, avian influenza A H5N1 viruses have naturally infected and killed a range of wild bird species, four felid species and a mustelid. Here, we report fatal disseminated H5N1 infection in a globally threatened viverrid, the Owston's civet, in Vietnam, highlighting the risk that avian influenza H5N1 poses to mammalian and avian biodiversity across its expanding geographic range.