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Viruses
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Influenza Viruses in Wildlife 2025
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Influenza Viruses in Wildlife 2025

A special issue of Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Viruses".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 851

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Rebecca Poulson

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
Interests: influenza virus; wildlife health; epidemiology
Dr. Wendy Blay Puryear

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Infectious Disease and Global Health, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, North Grafton, MA 01536, USA
Interests: viral evolution and adaptation; influenza; wildlife

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The rapid global spread of highly pathogenic (HP) H5N1 avian influenza virus (IAV) continues to impact domestic animal, wildlife, and human health, often with devastating consequences. Additionally, low pathogenicity (LP) IAV continue to circulate in wild birds and other wildlife species across the world, further complicating our understanding of the mechanisms driving, and in some cases, modulating, maintenance and transmission of HPAI. Research aimed at better understanding HP and LP IAV spread, evolution, diversity, and impacts in wild birds and mammals is critical to not only defining risk at critical human-animal interfaces, but equally important for defining potential threats and risks to a wide-range of wildlife species.

Resiliency of wildlife populations is key to healthy ecosystems, and as such, it is our pleasure to announce this Special Issue of Viruses entitled “Influenza Viruses in Wildlife 2025”. The focus will be on influenza viruses (both HP and LP) of non-human animal species, especially those of wild birds and mammals. We welcome submissions that include classical virology, genomic analyses, case reports, surveillance, epidemiology, and ecology of animal influenza viruses. Multi-disciplinary research is encouraged; original research and review articles will be considered for publication.

Dr. Rebecca Poulson
Dr. Wendy Blay Puryear
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Viruses is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • avian influenza
  • wild birds
  • wildlife
  • influenza epidemiology
  • surveillance
  • HPAI

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

11 pages, 924 KB  
Communication
Serological Evidence of Exposure to Eurasian-Lineage HPAI H5N1 Clade 2.3.4.4b in Wild Mammals in Ohio, USA, 2024–2025
by Mohammad Jawad Jahid, Madison C. Owsiany, Lauren M. Smith, Bryant M. Foreman, Zijing Cao, Deborah L. Carter, David E. Stallknecht, Brendan Shirkey, Rebecca L. Poulson and Jacqueline M. Nolting
Viruses 2025, 17(10), 1388; https://doi.org/10.3390/v17101388 - 18 Oct 2025
Viewed by 442
Abstract
The Goose/Guandong lineage of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus [A/Goose/Guangdong/1/1996(H5N1)] is the progenitor of the currently circulating Eurasian-lineage highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b and has been the most consequential highly pathogenic avian influenza lineage globally. Despite increased reports of infections, the [...] Read more.
The Goose/Guandong lineage of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus [A/Goose/Guangdong/1/1996(H5N1)] is the progenitor of the currently circulating Eurasian-lineage highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b and has been the most consequential highly pathogenic avian influenza lineage globally. Despite increased reports of infections, the extent of exposure and role of wild mammals in the ecology and transmission dynamics of the virus remains poorly understood. We surveyed wild mammals in Ohio, United States to investigate the potential spillover of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza clade 2.3.4.4b. While no active infections—defined as positive results indicative of viral replication and potential propagation—were detected by swab-based molecular tests, serological assays revealed antibodies against multiple avian influenza virus antigens in raccoons and opossums. Specifically, antibodies to avian influenza virus nucleoprotein were detected in 54.9% (n = 61) of samples using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; antibodies to Eurasian-lineage highly pathogenic avian influenza H5 clade 2.3.4.4b and North American low pathogenic avian influenza H5 were detected in 43.2% (n = 48) and 22.5% (n = 25) of samples, respectively, using virus neutralization assays; and antibodies to avian influenza virus neuraminidase were detected in 44.1% (n = 49) of samples using enzyme-linked lectin assay. All seropositive animals were sampled at Ohio marshes with previously confirmed highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 detections in waterfowl. These findings suggest prior exposure of wild mammals to these viruses without mortality events. Wild mammals may play an intermediary role in the mammalian adaptation of avian influenza A viruses. Therefore, ongoing surveillance of wild mammals is crucial for assessing the risk to public health. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Influenza Viruses in Wildlife 2025)
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