Novel Avian Influenza A(H5N8) Viruses in Migratory Birds, China, 2013–2014

摘要

To the Editor: Novel highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N8) virus infections were first detected in poultry in eastern China in 2010 (1); the virus caused outbreaks in South Korea and Japan in 2014 (2) and reached Europe and North America by early 2015 (3–6). Phylogenetic analysis indicated that novel HPAI subtype H5N8 viruses might have originated in China and then circulated in East Asia countries and that the global geographic dissemination of this virus was strongly associated with the migration of wild birds (7). However, the role of migratory birds in the initial introduction and spread of novel H5N8 strains in China and other countries in the region is unclear. Shanghai, located at the Yangtze River estuary on the eastern coast of China, is a crucial stopover for migratory birds in East Asia. We report the presence of novel H5N8 strains from migratory birds sampled in Shanghai from October 2013 through December 2014.