Avian Influenza Threatens Antarctic Wildlife: New Research Unveils Virus Spread
The highly pathogenic avian influenza virus has been wreaking havoc across the globe over the last five years, leading to the death of hundreds of millions of birds. Now, this alarming trend has reached the untouched landscapes of Antarctica, a sanctuary for wildlife. An expedition led by Spanish virologist Antonio Alcamí has confirmed the presence of this lethal virus in various animal species across six islands in the northern Antarctic Peninsula.
A comprehensive report detailing these findings has been submitted to the Spanish Polar Committee and international health authorities. Encouragingly, researchers have observed that penguins appear to be more resilient than initially expected; however, the virulence of the pathogen has had devastating effects on other species. For instance, on Joinville Island, scientists noted that crabeater seals suffered particularly severe infections.
Alcamí, a distinguished scientific figure from the Severo Ochoa Molecular Biology Center in Madrid, was one of the first to document the presence of the HPAI virus in Antarctica exactly one year ago. In the past months, he expressed anxiety about the potential repercussions following the Antarctic winter, a period characterized by total darkness that hampers scientific study and monitoring.
In a recent expedition, Alcamí and his team navigated the perilous Drake Passage from South America aboard the Australian sailboat Australis, equipped with a mobile laboratory. Already, they have identified the virus in 28 carcasses spanning multiple species, including Antarctic pigeons, kelp gulls, crabeater seals, gentoo penguins, Adélie penguins, and skuas — a migratory seabird. This ongoing work indicates a high viral load present in these deceased animals, suggesting significant risks of exposure for any organisms in proximity to the carcasses.
The researchers also documented the virus in 14 living specimens. "We have not observed illness in penguins directly, but our findings indicate that the virus is present in both deceased and live birds we are sampling," Alcamí explained. Moreover, alarming data emerged revealing the virus in air samples gathered from penguin colonies, which is particularly concerning for ongoing Antarctic research.
The detection of the virus in apparently healthy penguins raises red flags regarding human safety, especially since scientists and tourists frequently visit these areas. The potential for highly pathogenic avian influenza to transfer to humans is a deeply rooted concern for virologists; however, current evidence suggests the virus is not easily transmitted among humans. The World Health Organization reports 23 confirmed cases of human infection resulting in eight fatalities over the past five years, primarily due to the virus's initial spread in poultry populations.
Adding to the scrutiny of the virus’s behavior, a study from Cornell University highlighted alarming findings of the virus transferring between mammals. Scientists alert that "efficient and sustained mammal-to-mammal transmission is unprecedented," alluding to the risk of the virus adapting and increasing its infectious capabilities. This escalates the stakes as the virus could potentially transmit to other species, including humans.
Fortunately, Alcamí secured funding for this critical expedition through the support of the president of the Spanish National Research Council, Eloísa del Pino, who facilitated a donation of nearly 300,000 euros from the Spanish Union of Insurers and Reinsurers (UNESPA). The expedition, dubbed the CSIC-UNESPA Antarctic Expedition, plans to continue sampling and searching for infected animals across the southern Antarctic Peninsula for the coming weeks.
These findings underscore not just the urgent need for ongoing research in Antarctica but also the broader implications for wildlife and human interactions as the ongoing threat of zoonotic diseases looms.
Related Sources: