Noos News•
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Francian Yantima
Local editor
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Francian Yantima
Local editor
Scientists have identified further spread of avian influenza virus in Antarctica and are concerned about the evolution of the virus. An international team of researchers visited ten sites on the Antarctic Peninsula and surrounding islands in the northern Weddell Sea in the second half of March. They found thousands of dead birds and in four places they found dead birds infected with bird flu.
“So I did not expect that we would find the virus so quickly in so many locations,” says veterinary pathologist Linneke Bigman, who participated in the expedition and is now back at the Erasmus Medical Centre. “I thought we were looking for a needle in a haystack; the area is so large and there are so many animal species. The sites we visited are just pinpricks in a vast landscape.”
Carnivorous birds
Bigman and her colleagues found the virus in so-called hunter-gatherers; Carnivorous seabirds. On Peak Island, for example, they killed eighty fishermen alive and about fifty dead. The 10 dead samples they examined were all positive for bird flu.
The fact that fishermen in particular have been infected raises questions about whether other species have also been affected, says Bigman. Poachers eat the carcasses, and it is known that birds of prey, for example, can become infected with bird flu if they eat animals infected with the virus.
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Alice Reed
Research ship Australis -
Ben Wallis
Researchers prepare to take samples from the birds -
Anne Gunter
Hunter is found dead -
Ralph Van Strelz
Researchers take samples from a dead fisherman -
Ralph Van Strelz
Researchers take samples from Adelie penguins
To see if the virus was actually spreading under the radar, the researchers also collected feces from birds and mammals that appeared healthy, such as gentoo penguins, fur seals, Antarctic chickens, and Adelie penguins. In the coming months, the laboratory will have to determine whether there is avian influenza virus in the stool samples.
The Adelie penguin is very fishy. On one island, researchers counted 532 dead Adelie penguins, and estimated they saw several thousand dead specimens during their expedition. But they did not find the virus in the bodies.
“It was already in an advanced state of decomposition, so we will use very sensitive techniques in the laboratory to see if any virus can be found in it,” says Bigman. “At the same time, we are looking into other possible causes of death.”
Pedigree
The genetic material of the viruses that returned in all the cotton swabs and pieces of tissue also contains valuable information. Each time the virus replicates, the genetic code changes slightly. This allows scientists to create a family tree of the viruses they collected in Antarctica.
“From this family tree, we can find out whether the virus ended up in Antarctica once or if it appeared several times,” says Bigman. “For example, if we see four or five introductions, it is likely that the virus is also present elsewhere in Antarctica and has already spread throughout the continent.”
to guarantee
Experts are deeply concerned about the situation in Antarctica, partly because the virus has killed several hundred thousand animals in South America. At the end of February, it was announced that the virus had reached Antarctica. All species of marine mammals live on the continent and millions of birds breed there.
Bigman is impressed by the expedition. “I feel very sad when I see wild animals dying in a place where no one has touched them and where we agreed to have as little impact as possible. Animals are now dying there because of a virus that originated in poultry farming.”
Although the virus cannot be stopped, Bigman sees a perspective of action. “If we have a better understanding of the species affected, we can work to reduce disruptive impacts on the habitats we control.”
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