Wille M, Abbott W, Day D, Deng YM, Dong X, Gibson. Skuas as sentinels of high pathogenicity avian influenza H5N1 on the Antarctic Peninsula in the 2024/2025 austral summer. Microb Genom. 2026 Aug;12(8)
Despite Antarctica´s geographic isolation, the first incursion of high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 was detected in the 2023/2024 austral summer. Surveillance for HPAI H5N1 in Antarctica remains patchy due to logistical, financial and infrastructure challenges, with many suspected cases remaining unconfirmed and few viral genome sequences available to date. Through the 2024/2025 austral summer, we undertook five sampling expeditions to the South Shetland Islands and Antarctic Peninsula facilitated by cruise ships/operators. Across more than 500 faecal environmental samples collected from apparently healthy penguins and marine mammals, we found no detectable evidence of HPAI H5N1. However, HPAI H5N1 was detected in all but one of the skua carcasses sampled, which, in most cases, were found within metres of penguin sub-colonies. All HPAI H5N1 viral genome sequences from skuas on the Antarctic Peninsula fell within a single lineage, which included those genomes from skuas sampled in the 2024/2025 season from the South Shetland Islands. Genomes were in a different clade to those from the Antarctic Peninsula collected in the 2023/2024 austral summer. Our results confirm that although the prevalence may be low, HPAI H5N1 is recurring in Antarctica, emphasizing the need for ongoing surveillance to monitor and mitigate threats to wildlife, even in the planet´s most isolated regions.
See Also:
Latest articles in those days:
- Avian Influenza Weekly Update # 1062: 18 September 2026 4 hours ago
- Effectiveness of the 2025-2026 seasonal influenza vaccine among U.S. veterans: an observational study 5 hours ago
- Streamlined CRISPR-based assays for detection and subtyping of H5 and H7 avian influenza 2 days ago
- Host-specific effects of a pandemic H1N1 M gene on canine H3N2 influenza virus replication and immune responses 2 days ago
- Rapid Decline of Nesting Peregrine Falcons in the San Francisco Bay Region of California Synchronous with an Outbreak of H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza 2 days ago
[Go Top] [Close Window]


