Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, University of Bologna, Ozzano dell'Emilia, Bologna 40064, Italy.
Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, University of Bologna, Ozzano dell'Emilia, Bologna 40064, Italy.
Poult Sci. 2024 Aug;103(8):103892. doi: 10.1016/j.psj.2024.103892. Epub 2024 May 23.
Direct or indirect interactions between sympatric wildlife and poultry can lead to interspecies disease transmission. Particularly, avian influenza (AI) is a viral epidemic disease for which the poultry-wild bird interface shapes the risks of new viral introductions into poultry holdings. Given this background, the study hereby presented aimed to identify wild bird species in poultry house surroundings and characterize the spatiotemporal patterns of these visits. Eight camera traps were deployed for a year (January to December 2021) in 3 commercial chicken layer farms, including free-range and barn-type setups, located in a densely populated poultry area in Northern Italy at high risk for AI introduction via wild birds. Camera traps' positions were chosen based on wildlife signs identified during preliminary visits to the establishments studied. Various methods, including time series analysis, correspondence analysis, and generalized linear models, were employed to analyze the daily wild bird visits. A total of 1,958 camera trap days yielded 5,978 videos of wild birds from 27 different species and 16 taxonomic families. The animals were predominantly engaged in foraging activities nearby poultry houses. Eurasian magpies (Pica pica), ring-necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus), and Eurasian collared doves (Streptopelia decaocto) were the most frequent visitors. Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), an AI reservoir species, were observed only in a farm located next to a fishing sport lake. Time series analysis indicated that wild bird visits increased during spring and winter. Farm and camera trap location also influenced visit frequencies. Overall, the results highlighted specific species that could be prioritized for future AI epidemiological surveys. However, further research is required to assess their susceptibility and infectivity to currently circulating AI viruses, essential for identifying novel bridge hosts.
同域野生动物和家禽之间的直接或间接相互作用可导致种间疾病传播。特别是，禽流感（AI）是一种病毒性传染病，家禽-野鸟界面决定了新病毒传入家禽养殖场的风险。有鉴于此，本研究旨在确定家禽养殖场周围的野生鸟类物种，并描述这些访问的时空模式。在意大利北部一个人口密集的家禽区，有 3 个商业蛋鸡养殖场（包括自由放养和谷仓式），在这些养殖场中，高风险地区可能通过野生鸟类引入 AI。使用了包括时间序列分析、对应分析和广义线性模型在内的各种方法来分析每日野生鸟类访问情况。8 个相机陷阱在一年（2021 年 1 月至 12 月）中进行了部署，这些相机陷阱的位置是根据对所研究的养殖场进行初步访问时发现的野生动物迹象选择的。总共获得了 1958 个相机陷阱日的数据，拍摄到了 5978 段来自 27 个不同物种和 16 个分类科的野生鸟类视频。这些动物主要在靠近家禽养殖场的地方觅食。欧亚喜鹊（Pica pica）、环颈雉（Phasianus colchicus）和欧亚斑鸠（Streptopelia decaocto）是最常见的访客。仅在一个位于钓鱼运动湖旁边的农场观察到了禽流感病毒的储存物种——绿头鸭（Anas platyrhynchos）。时间序列分析表明，野生鸟类的访问量在春季和冬季增加。农场和相机陷阱的位置也影响访问频率。总体而言，研究结果突出了一些特定的物种，这些物种可能是未来 AI 流行病学调查的重点。但是，需要进一步研究以评估它们对当前流行的 AI 病毒的易感性和感染力，这对于确定新的桥梁宿主至关重要。
