American robins (Turdus migratorius) are commonly associated with farmsteads in the United States and have shown previous evidence of exposure to an H5 avian influenza A virus (IAV) near a poultry production facility affected by a highly pathogenic (HP) H5 virus in Iowa, USA during 2015. We experimentally infected American robins with three clade 2.3.4.4 HP H5 viruses (H5N2 and H5N8). A total of 22/24 American robins shed virus, and all three strains were represented. The highest virus titres shed were 104.3 , 104.3 and 104.8 PFU/ml, associated respectively with viruses isolated from poultry, a captive gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus), and a Northern pintail (Anas acuta). Of those birds that shed, viral shedding was initiated 1 or 2 days post-infection (DPI) and shedding ceased in all birds by 7 DPI. This study adds an additional synanthropic wildlife species to a growing list of animals that can successfully replicate and shed IAVs.
Keywords: Turdus migratorius; American robin; Avian influenza A virus; Biosecurity; Clade 2.3.4.4; Experimental infection; H5N2; H5N8; Highly pathogenic; Outbreak; Passerine.
Published 2018. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.