Sayseng John Oliver, Chuang Ting-Wu
International Ph.D. Program in Medicine College of Medicine Taipei Medical University Taipei Taiwan.
Department of Molecular Parasitology and Tropical Diseases School of Medicine College of Medicine Taipei Medical University Taipei Taiwan.
Geohealth. 2025 Aug 7;9(8):e2025GH001405. doi: 10.1029/2025GH001405. eCollection 2025 Aug.
Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus presents a serious threat to poultry and public health worldwide, with transmission dynamics shaped by avian migration patterns and environmental conditions. Recent outbreaks in the Philippines highlight the urgent need for effective control measures. While previous studies have shown the importance of waterfowl-to-poultry transmission and farm-to-farm spread, the spillover risk to local avian species remains underexplored. This study aimed to examine H5N1-HPAI outbreaks in poultry in relation to environmental factors and local avian species in the Philippines. We applied a two-step ecological niche modelling approach using maximum entropy algorithms. First, environmental variables from remote sensing images were used to predict the distribution of 10 common avian species based on citizen science data from the eBird platform. Next, these avian distribution data were combined with environmental variables to create a risk map for H5N1-HPAI outbreaks in the Philippines. The H5N1-HPAI risk model demonstrated strong predictive performance, with an AUCROC value of 0.936 ± 0.026. Key factors contributing to predicted H5N1-HPAI risk included precipitation levels, population density, and avian species such as the Eurasian Tree Sparrow and Zebra Dove. The higher risk of spillover for the two local avian species may be due to their shared similar environmental signatures with outbreak poultries. The risk map highlighted Metro Manila and Central Luzon as high-risk regions of H5N1-HPAI. This study identified the main clusters and environmental factors associated with avian influenza outbreaks in poultry in the Philippines. Additionally, the transmission risk may threaten the local avian population.
高致病性禽流感(HPAI)病毒对全球家禽和公共卫生构成严重威胁,其传播动态受鸟类迁徙模式和环境条件影响。菲律宾近期的疫情凸显了采取有效控制措施的紧迫性。虽然先前的研究表明水禽到家禽的传播以及农场间传播的重要性,但HPAI病毒向当地鸟类物种的溢出风险仍未得到充分研究。本研究旨在探讨菲律宾家禽中H5N1-HPAI疫情与环境因素及当地鸟类物种的关系。我们采用了一种两步生态位建模方法,使用最大熵算法。首先,利用遥感图像中的环境变量,根据eBird平台的公民科学数据预测10种常见鸟类物种的分布。接下来,将这些鸟类分布数据与环境变量相结合,绘制出菲律宾H5N1-HPAI疫情的风险地图。H5N1-HPAI风险模型显示出较强的预测性能,AUCROC值为0.936±0.026。预测H5N1-HPAI风险的关键因素包括降水量、人口密度以及诸如家麻雀和斑鸠等鸟类物种。这两种当地鸟类物种较高的溢出风险可能是由于它们与疫情家禽具有相似的环境特征。风险地图突出显示马尼拉大都会和甲米地为H5N1-HPAI的高风险地区。本研究确定了菲律宾家禽禽流感疫情的主要聚集区和环境因素。此外,传播风险可能会威胁当地鸟类种群。