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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Athens, Georgia » U.S. National Poultry Research Center » Exotic & Emerging Avian Viral Diseases Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #338118
Research Project: Intervention Strategies to Prevent and Control Disease Outbreaks Caused by Emerging Strains of Avian Influenza Viruses

Location: Exotic & Emerging Avian Viral Diseases Research

Title: Impact of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus strain on generation and transmission of bioaerosols during simulated slaughter of infected chickens and ducks

Author
item Swayne, David
item BERTRAN, KATERI - Consultant
item Balzli, Charles
item KWON, YONG-KUK - Animal, Plant And Fisheries Quarantine And Inspection Agency (QIA)
item TUMPEY, TERRENCE - Centers For Disease Control And Prevention (CDC) - United States
item CLARK, ANDREW - Consultant

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/1/2017
Publication Date: 6/19/2017
Citation: Swayne, D.E., Bertran, K., Balzli, C.L., Kwon, Y., Tumpey, T., Clark, A. 2017. Impact of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus strain on generation and transmission of bioaerosols during simulated slaughter of infected chickens and ducks [abstract]. The Conference on Transmission of Respiratory Viruses: From Basic Science to Evidence Based Options for Control. June 19-21, 2017, Hong Kong, China. p. 49.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Human infections with H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus occur following exposure to H5N1 virus-infected poultry, often during home slaughter or live-poultry market slaughter processes. Using bioaerosol samplers, we demonstrated that infectious H5N1 airborne particles were produced during laboratory-simulated processing of asymptomatic chickens infected with human-origin viruses of clades 1 and 2.2.1, and avian-origin viruses of clades 1.1, 2.2 and 2.1. In contrast, the processing of ducks infected with the same viruses was less efficient in generating infectious airborne virus particles. Naïve chickens and ferrets exposed to the same air space as the slaughter of H5N1 HPAI virus-infected chickens became infected and died, suggesting that the slaughter of infected chickens is one potential source of exposure to naïve avian and mammalian hosts. In contrast, naïve ducks and ferrets exposed to the same air space as processing of H5N1 HPAI virus-infected ducks produced inconsistent infections. These results highlight the possibility of airborne transmission of HPAI viruses among poultry and from poultry to humans from home or live-poultry market slaughter settings.