Adjusting the active surveillance in migratory wild birds in the state of São Paulo

• Grant number: 22/08528-3
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Research in Public Policies
• Duration: February 01, 2024 - January 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Preventive Veterinary Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Helena Lage Ferreira
• Grantee: Helena Lage Ferreira
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos (FZEA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Pirassununga , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Edison Luiz Durigon ; Erika Hingst-Zaher ; Paula Rahal

Abstract

Brazil is the world's largest exporter of chicken meat and ranks as the second-largest producer, with a production of 14.5 million tons in 2022, behind only the United States. The influenza virus (AIV) presents a variable pathogenicity according to its subtypes (H5 and H7). Identifying these subtypes in commercial poultry farms can lead to the imposition of sanitary barriers by importing countries, besides the threat to human health. These viruses have wild waterfowl as natural reservoirs, and the movement of wild migratory birds on intercontinental routes for breeding ends up causing the dispersion between different geographic regions. The highly pathogenic avian influenza virus of subtype H5N1 was introduced in late 2022 in South America with the migration of wild birds. In May 2023, the first outbreaks of this virus in wild birds were confirmed in Brazilian territory. As an action, the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock (MAPA) signed in late May a decree establishing a state of animal health emergency in Brazil for 180 days because of the identification of cases of influenza in wild birds to mitigate the losses to the Brazilian industrial poultry industry. In the state of São Paulo, the State Poultry Health Program (PESA) of the Agricultural Defense Coordination (CDA) of the São Paulo Department of Agriculture and Supply (SAA/SP) is responsible for the active surveillance of the virus in commercial poultry. It needs to identify the municipalities for active surveillance of non-commercial birds and surveilling wild birds. The CDA has been monitoring activities in collaboration with the University of São Paulo, USP, by the ICB and FZEA units, in Ilha Comprida since 2015. Due to the change of scenario and the state of an animal health emergency, monitoring wintering sites of wild birds and subsistence birds must be investigated, especially close to commercial poultry farms. Thus, the present study proposes to collaborate between USP, Unesp, CDA, and Instituto Butantan to conduct a survey of potential wintering areas of birds of the orders Anseriformes and Charadriiformes, the main reservoirs of influenza, in addition to subsistence birds and compare the regions already mapped by CDA-SAA of the locations of commercial poultry farms. After identifying the main areas for monitoring, the monitoring period will also be defined, and samples of wild and subsistence birds will be obtained. The samples will be processed using molecular, virological, and serological tests to identify circulating influenza viruses. This study will allow the CDA to allocate its resources efficiently and contribute to identifying and triggering sanitary measures early if a virus is identified. The project implementation plan consists of defining the main sites to be monitored based on risk analysis and helping to review the PESA actions. (AU)