Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 16, 2026

Rapid Diagnosis of Avian Influenza Virus in Wild Birds: Use of a Portable rRT-PCR and Freeze-dried Reagents in the Field
Published on: August 2, 2011
Genetic data provide evidence for wind-mediated transmission of highly pathogenic avian influenza
Rolf J F Ypma1, Marcel Jonges, Arnaud Bataille
1Center for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute of Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, The Netherlands. rolf.ypma@rivm.nl
Abstract:
Outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza in poultry can cause severe economic damage and represent a public health threat. Development of efficient containment measures requires an understanding of how these influenza viruses are transmitted between farms. However, the actual mechanisms of interfarm transmission are largely unknown. Dispersal of infectious material by wind has been suggested, but never demonstrated, as a possible cause of transmission between farms. Here we provide statistical evidence that the direction of spread of avian influenza A(H7N7) is correlated with the direction of wind at date of infection. Using detailed genetic and epidemiological data, we found the direction of spread by reconstructing the transmission tree for a large outbreak in the Netherlands in 2003. We conservatively estimate the contribution of a possible wind-mediated mechanism to the total amount of spread during this outbreak to be around 18%.
Related Concept Videos
Viral Mutations
Gene Flow
Viral Recombination
Influenza
The Evidence for Evolution
Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms-SNPs

