TY - JOUR AU - Floyd, Tobias AU - Banyard, Ashley AU - Lean, Fabian Z.X. AU - Byrne, Alexander M.P. AU - Fullick, Edward AU - Whittard, Elliot AU - Mollett, Benjamin AU - Bexton, Steve AU - Swinson, Vanessa AU - Macrelli, Michele AU - Lewis, Nicola AU - Reid, Scott AU - Núñez, Alejandro AU - Duff, J. Paul AU - Hansen, Rowena AU - Brown, Ian T1 - Encephalitis and Death in Wild Mammals at a Rehabilitation Center after Infection with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N8) Virus, United Kingdom T2 - Emerging Infectious Disease journal PY - 2021 VL - 27 IS - 11 SP - 2856 SN - 1080-6059 AB - We report a disease and mortality event involving swans, seals, and a fox at a wildlife rehabilitation center in the United Kingdom during late 2020. Five swans had onset of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus infection while in captivity. Subsequently, 5 seals and a fox died (or were euthanized) after onset of clinical disease. Avian-origin influenza A virus subtype H5N8 was retrospectively determined as the cause of disease. Infection in the seals manifested as seizures, and immunohistochemical and molecular testing on postmortem samples detected a neurologic distribution of viral products. The fox died overnight after sudden onset of inappetence, and postmortem tissues revealed neurologic and respiratory distribution of viral products. Live virus was isolated from the swans, seals, and the fox, and a single genetic change was detected as a potential adaptive mutation in the mammalian-derived viral sequences. No human influenza-like illness was reported in the weeks after the event. KW - avian influenza KW - systemic infection KW - first detection KW - terrestrial carnivores KW - cetaceans KW - H5N8 KW - highly pathogenic KW - United Kingdom KW - viruses KW - respiratory infections KW - zoonoses DO - 10.3201/eid2711.211225 UR - https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/27/11/21-1225_article ER - End of Reference