Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Comment
  • Published:

Advocating a watch-and-prepare approach with avian influenza

Nature Microbiology volume 8, pages 1603–1605 (2023)Cite this article

Subjects

The global outbreak of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus and its high toll on animal populations raise concerns about spillover into humans, but human host barriers need to be considered when estimating transmission potential.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on SpringerLink
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: Emergence and evolution of the H5 HPAIV lineage.

References

  1. European Food Safety Authority et al. EFSA J. 21, e07917 (2023).

  2. Aguero, M. et al. Euro. Surveill. https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2023.28.3.2300001 (2023).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  3. Puryear, W. et al. Emerg. Infect. Dis. 29, 786–791 (2023).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  4. H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Poultry and Wild Birds: Winter of 2021/2022 with Focus on Mass Mortality of Wild Birds in UK and Israel (WOAH, 2022).

  5. Long, J. S. et al. Nat. Rev. Microbiol. 17, 67–81 (2019).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Avian Influenza Weekly Update Number 906 (WHO, 2023); https://go.nature.com/3sbxXof

  7. Wang, M., Fu, C. X. & Zheng, B. J. N. Engl. J. Med. 360, 2583–2584 (2009).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Sandbulte, M. R. et al. PLoS Med. 4, e59 (2007).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  9. Imai, M. et al. Nature 486, 420–428 (2012).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  10. Stevens, J. et al. Science 312, 404–410 (2006).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Haller, O. et al. Trends Microbiol. 23, 154–163 (2015).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Chen, Y. et al. Science 373, 918–922 (2021).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Manz, B. et al. PLoS Pathog. 9, e1003279 (2013).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  14. Gotz, V. et al. Sci. Rep. 6, 23138 (2016).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  15. Graaf, A. et al. Emerg. Infect. Dis. 29, 1492–1495 (2023).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The work was funded by a grant from the European Research Council to M.S. (no. 882631—Bat Flu); grants from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft to M.S. (SCHW 632/16-1) and M.B. (BE 5187/4-2); the EU Horizon 2020 program grant agreement VEO (no. 874735) to M.B.; and the medical faculty at the University of Freiburg through the Hans A. Krebs Medical Scientist Programme to K.C.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Virology, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany

    Kevin Ciminski, Geoffrey Chase & Martin Schwemmle

  2. Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany

    Kevin Ciminski, Geoffrey Chase & Martin Schwemmle

  3. Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany

    Martin Beer

Authors
  1. Kevin Ciminski
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Geoffrey Chase
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Martin Schwemmle
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Martin Beer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Kevin Ciminski, Geoffrey Chase, Martin Schwemmle or Martin Beer.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Peer review

Peer review information

Nature Microbiology thanks Richard Webby and the other, anonymous, reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Ciminski, K., Chase, G., Schwemmle, M. et al. Advocating a watch-and-prepare approach with avian influenza. Nat Microbiol 8, 1603–1605 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-023-01457-0

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-023-01457-0

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing