R?le des oiseaux sauvages dans la transmission et la dispersion des virus de l’influenza aviaire?: apport de l’éco-épidémiologie dans les écosystèmes afro-tropicaux

摘要

The intercontinental spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (AIV) in 2005–2006 triggered an important research effort on the epidemiology of AIV in wild birds and at the wild/domestic bird interface. Wild birds are the host of the majority of low pathogenic AIV that may evolve into highly pathogenic strains once introduced into poultry populations, causing a risk for animal and public health. The work undertaken during the last 10?years in afro-tropical ecosystems explored the eco-epidemiology of AIV in wild and domestic birds. AIV do persist across the year in Africa, and are probably maintained in wild bird communities, but the patterns of species and seasonal variations differ from what has been described on other continents. The role of shorebirds does not seem to be as crucial in the maintenance of AIV when compared to some North American ecosystems. AIV maintenance appears to be depending not only on wild ducks but also on a wide diversity of host species in the wild bird community. Finally, some species could act as bridge hosts, creating an epidemiological link between wild ducks (maintenance host) and domestic poultry populations (susceptible host). These works provide an updated understanding of the transmission dynamics of AIV in African wild and domestic birds and contributed to the global research on AIV by raising new hypotheses and unfolding new methods to test them.