RESUMEN
Animals such as raccoon dogs, mink and muskrats are farmed for fur and are sometimes used as food or medicinal products1,2, yet they are also potential reservoirs of emerging pathogens3. Here we performed single-sample metatranscriptomic sequencing of internal tissues from 461 individual fur animals that were found dead due to disease. We characterized 125 virus species, including 36 that were novel and 39 at potentially high risk of cross-species transmission, including zoonotic spillover. Notably, we identified seven species of coronaviruses, expanding their known host range, and documented the cross-species transmission of a novel canine respiratory coronavirus to raccoon dogs and of bat HKU5-like coronaviruses to mink, present at a high abundance in lung tissues. Three subtypes of influenza A virus-H1N2, H5N6 and H6N2-were detected in the lungs of guinea pig, mink and muskrat, respectively. Multiple known zoonotic viruses, such as Japanese encephalitis virus and mammalian orthoreovirus4,5, were detected in guinea pigs. Raccoon dogs and mink carried the highest number of potentially high-risk viruses, while viruses from the Coronaviridae, Paramyxoviridae and Sedoreoviridae families commonly infected multiple hosts. These data also reveal potential virus transmission between farmed animals and wild animals, and from humans to farmed animals, indicating that fur farming represents an important transmission hub for viral zoonoses.
RESUMEN
Avian influenza virus continues to pose zoonotic, epizootic, and pandemic threats worldwide, as exemplified by the 2020-23 epizootics of re-emerging H5 genotype avian influenza viruses among birds and mammals and the fatal jump to humans of emerging A(H3N8) in early 2023. Future influenza pandemic threats are driven by extensive mutations and reassortments of avian influenza viruses rooted in frequent interspecies transmission and genetic mixing and underscore the urgent need for more effective actions. We examine the changing global epidemiology of human infections caused by avian influenza viruses over the past decade, including dramatic increases in both the number of reported infections in humans and the spectrum of avian influenza virus subtypes that have jumped to humans. We also discuss the use of advanced surveillance, diagnostic technologies, and state-of-the-art analysis methods for tracking emerging avian influenza viruses. We outline an avian influenza virus-specific application of the One Health approach, integrating enhanced surveillance, tightened biosecurity, targeted vaccination, timely precautions, and timely clinical management, and fostering global collaboration to control the threats of avian influenza viruses.