Researchers at the Pandemic Sciences Institute and Centre for Human Genetics at the Nuffield Department of Medicine and colleagues from institutions including Borneo Medical and Health Research Centre, Universiti Malaysia Sabah and the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore have developed a new surveillance approach for HPAI, encompassing analysis of both blood samples and spatial distribution of reservoir species.
Lead author Dr. Hannah Klim, Researcher NDM’s Pandemic Sciences Institute, said: ‘Our study highlights a previously understudied possible transmission route directly from migratory birds into humans. We hope this work will highlight the need to increase viral surveillance in migratory sites.’
To date, close contact with domesticated poultry – previously infected through contact with migratory birds – has been a widely discussed route of “bird flu” transmission into humans. While domesticated animals have been the focus of other studies, the new study, set in Malaysian Borneo, suggests that people living near habitats of these wild species may also have increased risks of exposure.
2,000 samples from individuals across four districts in Northern Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, were serologically tested for influenza exposure. The selected population was exposed to domesticated poultry and wild shorebirds, both potential carriers of H5 infection.
Analysis of blood samples identified antibodies suggesting that human participants had previously been exposed to H5 viruses. However, no human cases had ever been reported in the area – despite a severe poultry outbreak in 2018 and the presence of migratory birds known to carry H5 infection.
Read the full story on the Nuffield Department of Medicine website.