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About the Authors:
J. Jeffrey Root
* E-mail: [email protected]
Affiliation: United States Department of Agriculture, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
Susan A. Shriner
Affiliation: United States Department of Agriculture, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
Kevin T. Bentler
Affiliation: United States Department of Agriculture, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
Thomas Gidlewski
Affiliation: United States Department of Agriculture, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
Nicole L. Mooers
Affiliation: United States Department of Agriculture, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
Terry R. Spraker
Affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
Kaci K. VanDalen
Affiliation: United States Department of Agriculture, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
Heather J. Sullivan
Affiliation: United States Department of Agriculture, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
Alan B. Franklin
Affiliation: United States Department of Agriculture, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
Introduction
Influenza A viruses are globally important public health and veterinary pathogens infecting numerous avian and mammalian species [1]. These viruses have produced large financial burdens in terms of public health [2] and poultry production [3]. Wild birds of the orders Anseriformes and Charadriiformes are typically considered the primary natural hosts of avian influenza viruses (AIVs) [4]. Despite documented associations of influenza A viruses and wild mammals, the potential role of these species in the ecology of influenza A viruses has received limited attention and only for select species [5]–[10].
While infections of mammals with highly pathogenic (HP) Asian strain H5N1 AIV have been most commonly found in species from the mammalian order Carnivora, a few exceptions have been noted. One recent exception occurred in the mammalian order Lagomorpha (e.g., hares, rabbits, and pikas) where 13.4% of 82 wild black-lipped pika (Ochotona curzoniae) had antibodies against HP H5N1 in and around Qinghai Lake, China [10]. In addition, 5 viral isolates of HP H5N1 were obtained from tissues of this species from the...