Qiu Yunbo, Lv Chenlong, Chen Jinjin, Sun Yanqun, Tang Tian, Zhang Yuanyuan, Yang Yufeng, Wang Guolin, Xu Qiang, Zhang Xiaoai, Hong Feng, Hay Simon I, Fang Liqun, Liu Wei
School of Public Health, the Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Disease Control, Ministry of Education, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550025, P.R. China; State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Academy of Military Medical Science, Beijing 100071, P.R. China.
State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Academy of Military Medical Science, Beijing 100071, P.R. China.
Med. 2025 Apr 11;6(4):100553. doi: 10.1016/j.medj.2024.11.006. Epub 2024 Dec 18.
Wild birds are significant vectors in global pathogen transmission, but the diversity and spatial distribution of the pathogens detected in them remain unclear. Understanding the transmission dynamics and hotspots of wild-bird-associated pathogens (WBAPs) is crucial for early disease prevention.
We compiled an up-to-date dataset encompassing all WBAPs by conducting an extensive search of publications from 1959 to 2022, mapped their diversity and global distribution, and utilized three machine learning algorithms to predict geospatial hotspots where zoonotic and emerging WBAPs were prevalent.
Based on 1,834 selected studies, a total of 760 pathogens associated with 1,438 wild bird species were identified, including 387 emerging and 212 zoonotic pathogens. Migratory birds exhibited higher pathogen richness (593 species) but a lower proportion of zoonotic pathogens (27.2%) compared to resident birds (303 species and 39.3%, both p < 0.01). When comparing different ecological groups, waterfowl had the highest richness of zoonotic pathogens (128 species), followed by songbirds (76 species). The distribution of WBAPs was significantly influenced by the habitat suitability index of wild birds, mammalian richness, and climatic factors. The potential geographical hotspots of zoonotic and emerging WBAPs were widely distributed in tropical areas of Asia, Africa, and South America, with zoonotic WBAPs having a wider distribution in South America.
Our study illustrates that the geographical hotspots of WBAPs are more widespread than reported, especially in low-income areas, and that the identification, surveillance, and prevention of WBAP infections should be prioritized.
This work was funded by the National Key Research and Development Program of China.
野生鸟类是全球病原体传播的重要媒介，但在它们身上检测到的病原体的多样性和空间分布仍不清楚。了解与野生鸟类相关的病原体（WBAPs）的传播动态和热点对于早期疾病预防至关重要。
我们通过广泛检索1959年至2022年的出版物，编制了一个包含所有WBAPs的最新数据集，绘制了它们的多样性和全球分布，并利用三种机器学习算法来预测人畜共患病和新出现的WBAPs流行的地理空间热点。
基于1834项选定研究，共鉴定出与1438种野生鸟类相关的760种病原体，包括387种新出现的病原体和212种人畜共患病原体。与留鸟（303种，占39.3%）相比，候鸟表现出更高的病原体丰富度（593种），但人畜共患病原体的比例较低（27.2%，两者p<0.01）。在比较不同生态类群时，水禽的人畜共患病原体丰富度最高（128种），其次是鸣禽（76种）。WBAPs的分布受到野生鸟类栖息地适宜性指数、哺乳动物丰富度和气候因素的显著影响。人畜共患病和新出现的WBAPs的潜在地理热点广泛分布在亚洲、非洲和南美洲的热带地区，人畜共患病WBAPs在南美洲的分布更广。
我们的研究表明，WBAPs的地理热点比报道的更为广泛，尤其是在低收入地区，应优先识别、监测和预防WBAPs感染。
本研究由中国国家重点研发计划资助。
