Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Jul 26;15(15):2201.
doi: 10.3390/ani15152201.

A Broad Wildlife Survey of Influenza A Virus in the Orinoco Flooded Savannas from Colombia: New Reports and Perspectives

Astrid Katerine Cárdenas Parra  1 , Juan Pablo Barón Vera  1 , Iván Fernando Calixto-Botía  1 , Nubia E Matta  2 , Oscar Andrés Rodríguez-Fandiño  1 , Lady Johana Correa-Higuera  1
Affiliations

A Broad Wildlife Survey of Influenza A Virus in the Orinoco Flooded Savannas from Colombia: New Reports and Perspectives

Astrid Katerine Cárdenas Parra et al. Animals (Basel). .

Abstract

Influenza A virus (IAV) poses a significant threat to animal and public health due to its wide host range and potential for interspecies transmission. This study aimed to conduct a comprehensive survey of IAV in a wide range of wildlife in the Orinoco flooded savannas of Colombia, a region of high biodiversity and a strategic location for monitoring viral transmission. Sampling was conducted during both dry and rainy seasons in two localities. ELISA and qPCR targeted 2028 individuals from 173 bird, mammal, and reptile species, 124 of them without previously published reports. There were positive results for 54 species, with 34 representing first-time world reports. Of the qPCR, 13.4% were positive from birds, and 2.9% were from mammals. Seropositivity was identified in 5.7% of birds, 2.7% of mammals, and 1.3% of reptiles. These findings underscore the potential role of these diverse species as reservoirs or incidental hosts in the transmission cycle of IAV, emphasizing the need for expanded research on less-studied taxa and their ecological interactions. The results also contribute to our understanding of the epidemiology of IAV in the Neotropics and can inform future surveillance and mitigation strategies.

Keywords: IAV; Orinoquia; Serology; qPCR; surveillance; wildlife; zoonotic.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study, in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data, in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The geographical location of sampling sites: (A) Casanare’s location in Colombia; (B) Department of Casanare; (Red) Municipality of Paz de Ariporo and sampling sites: (1) Locality of RNSC “Aves D’ JAH” (05°43′946″ N, 71°24′451″ W), (2) AICA (Important Bird Areas) “Chaviripa—El Rubí” (5°37′22.5″ N, 70°42′18.5″ W), (3) Farm “La Carpeta” (5°57′21.00″ N, 70°55′55.30″ W); (Green) Municipality of El Yopal and sampling sites: (4) Farm “La Llave” (5°13′47.8″ N, 72°6′74.5″ W), (5) Farm “Buenas Tardes—Matapalo” (5°8′7.4.4″ N, 72°7′42.2″ W), and (6) Ranch “La Virgen” (5°11′55.90″ N, 72°3′33.40″ W).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Processing by taxonomic group, analytical technique and matrix tested. Of the 2028 screened individuals, some were tested using both analytical techniques (ELISA and qPCR) and, in the case of qPCR, by more than one matrix (O.S., C.S. and R.S.), summing 3404 samples in total, 1857 samples by qPCR and 1547 samples by ELISA. n = Number of samples processed, O.S. = Oropharyngeal swab, C.S. = Cloacal swab, R.S. = Rectal swab.
Figure 3
Figure 3
New reports of Influenza A virus detected by ELISA and qPCR in wildlife from the Colombian Orinoco. The figure shows birds, mammals and reptiles in which serological or molecular evidence of the virus was recorded for the first time. The only species commonly detected by both methods was the mammal Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris. qPCR did not detect the virus in reptiles, whereas ELISA gave positive results in Caiman crocodilus and Iguana iguana.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Rangel-Ch J.O. La biodiversidad de Colombia: Significado y distribución regional. Rev. Acad. Colomb. Cienc. Exactas Físicas Nat. 2015;39:176. doi: 10.18257/raccefyn.136. - DOI
    1. Bystriakova N., Tovar C., Monro A., Moat J., Hendrigo P., Carretero J., Torres-Morales G., Diazgranados M. Colombia’s bioregions as a source of useful plants. PLoS ONE. 2021;16:e0256457. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0256457. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Mattos C.R.C., Hirota M., Oliveira R.S., Flores B.M., Miguez-Macho G., Pokhrel Y., Fan Y. Double stress of waterlogging and drought drives forest–savanna coexistence. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 2023;120:e2301255120. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2301255120. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Sarmiento G. The Ecology of Neotropical Savannas. Harvard University Press; Cambridge, MA, USA: 1984.
    1. Fierro K. Plan Nacional de las Especies Migratorias: Diagnóstico e Identificación de Acciones Para la Conservación y el Manejo Sostenible de las Especies Migratorias de la Biodiversidad en Colombia. Ministerio de Ambiente, Vivienda y Desarrollo Territorial; Bogotá, Colombia: 2009. Aves migratorias en Colombia; pp. 63–76.

LinkOut - more resources