Expanded susceptibility and transmission in circulating avian influenza viruses reshape wild bird mortality

Johanna Harvey, an assistant professor of wildlife disease ecology at the University of Rhode Island, has described bird flu in public presentations as a quiet virus with loud consequences. Now, she's published a new paper in Wildlife Monographs, describing how circulating avian influenza viruses (HPAIV) show an expanded set of susceptible hosts, including many migratory wild birds, and higher transmission rates. In the paper, Harvey examines data gaps in avian influenza host dynamics to prioritize wildlife conservation—and protect human health.