TY - JOUR AU - Rappole, John H. AU - Hubálek, Zdenek T1 - Birds and Influenza H5N1 Virus Movement to and within North America T2 - Emerging Infectious Disease journal PY - 2006 VL - 12 IS - 10 SP - 1486 SN - 1080-6059 AB - Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 expanded considerably during 2005 and early 2006 in both avian host species and geographic distribution. Domestic waterfowl and migratory birds are reservoirs, but lethality of this subtype appeared to initially limit migrant effectiveness as introductory hosts. This situation may have changed, as HPAI H5N1 has recently expanded across Eurasia and into Europe and Africa. Birds could introduce HPAI H5N1 to the Western Hemisphere through migration, vagrancy, and importation by people. Vagrants and migratory birds are not likely interhemispheric introductory hosts; import of infected domestic or pet birds is more probable. If reassortment or mutation were to produce a virus adapted for rapid transmission among humans, birds would be unlikely introductory hosts because of differences in viral transmission mechanisms among major host groups (i.e., gastrointestinal for birds, respiratory for humans). Another possible result of reassortment would be a less lethal form of avian influenza, more readily spread by birds. KW - Avian Influenza A KW - Orthomyxovirus KW - Migration KW - Birds KW - HPAI KW - H5N1 KW - Movement KW - Western Hemisphere KW - Perspective DO - 10.3201/eid1210.051577 UR - https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/12/10/05-1577_article ER - End of Reference