OBJECTIVES:

Between November 20, 2016 and April 17, 2017, outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A/H5N6 occurred on poultry farms in Gyeonggi Province in the Republic of Korea. To identify the transmission of HPAI A/H5N6 virus to humans, a serosurvey was conducted among poultry farmers.

METHODS:

A descriptive study among 870 poultry farmers in Gyeonggi Province in Korea during the 2016-2017 outbreak was conducted. A serological test was performed via microneutralization (MN) assay for antibodies against influenza A/duck/ES2/Korea/2016 virus which has antigenic properties similar to those of the HPAI A/H5N6 virus that caused this poultry outbreak.

RESULTS:

Overall, 523 exposed poultry farmers were assessed by serological tests. Consequently, all tested negative for HPAI A/H5N6 virus via MN assay.

CONCLUSIONS:

In our study cohort, we did not identify the transmission of HPAI A/H5N6 to humans based on serologic assays. Additional studies should be conducted to measure the possibility of poultry-to-human transmission of HPAI A/H5N6.