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. 2017 Jun 20;12(6):e0179573.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0179573. eCollection 2017.

Avian influenza in Latin America: A systematic review of serological and molecular studies from 2000-2015

Alejandra Afanador-Villamizar  1 , Carlos Gomez-Romero  1 , Andres Diaz  2 , Julian Ruiz-Saenz  3
Affiliations

Avian influenza in Latin America: A systematic review of serological and molecular studies from 2000-2015

Alejandra Afanador-Villamizar et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Avian influenza or bird flu is a highly contagious acute viral disease that can occur in epidemics and cross-border forms in poultry and wild birds. The characteristics of avian influenza viruses (AIVs) allow the emergence of new viral variants, some with zoonotic and pandemic potential. AIVs have been identified in Latin America; however, there is a lack of understanding of these viruses at the regional level. We performed a systematic literature review on serological or molecular evidence of AIVs circulation in Latin America. Methods were designed based on the PRISMA and STROME guidelines. Only peer-reviewed studies published between 2000 to 2015 and data was analysed based on country, viral subtype, avian species, and phylogenetic origins. From 271 studies initially found only twenty-six met our inclusion criteria. Evidence of AIVs infection was found in most Latin American countries, with Mexico as the country with the largest number of conducted studies and reported cases during the period analysed, followed by Chile and Argentina. Most of the AIVs were early reported through surveillance systems and at least 14 different subtypes of influenza viruses were reported in birds, and the presence of both low (92.9%) and high (7.1%) pathogenic AIVs was shown in Latin America. Of the reported AIVs in Latin America, 43.7% belong to migratory birds, 28.1% to local wild birds, and 28.1% to poultry. The migratory bird population mainly comprises families belonging to the orders Anseriformes and Charadriformes. We highlight the importance of epidemiological surveillance systems and the possible role of different migratory birds in the transmission of AIVs within the Americas. Our findings demonstrate the limited information on AIVs in Latin America and highlight the need of more studies on AIVs at the regional level, particularly those focused on identifying the endemic subtypes in regional wild birds.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors declare that they do not have anything to disclose regarding conflicts of interest with respect to this manuscript. Andres Diaz is employed by PIC –Pig Improvement Company LATAM. There are no patents, products in development or marketed products to declare. This does not alter our adherence to all the PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials, as detailed online in the guide for authors.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. PRISMA diagram.
Summary of the literature search.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Avian influenza publication trends.
Frequency distribution of published serological and molecular studies of avian influenza in Latin America by year. Upper arrows indicates the frequency of AIVs studies in Latin America over time (quartiles).
Fig 3
Fig 3. Avian influenza reports by country.
Percentage distribution of avian influenza reports by country from 2000–2015.
Fig 4
Fig 4. Spatial representation of the reports of avian influenza in Latin America and the migratory routes of birds on the continent.
The coloured dots represent the percentage of records of AIVs circulation in different countries.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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