Strengthened Monitoring of H5 Avian Influenza Viruses in External Environment in Hubei, 2018

The contamination status of H5 avian influenza viruses and distribution of subtypes of H5N1 and H5N6 in poultry-related environment of Hubei areas were investigated. Urban and rural live poultry markets, poultry farms, intensive livestock farms and other monitoring types of 103 counties in 17 cities were selected in Hubei. Wiping samples from cage surface, wiping samples from chopping board, fecal specimens and other environmental samples were collected and tested by real-time RT-PCR using primers and probes of influenza A, avian influenza of H5, N1 and N6 from December 2017 to March 2018. The avian influenza virus positive rate was compared among different monitoring sites, samples, time and regions. Totally, 7132 environmental samples were collected in 1634 monitoring points with a positive rate of 2.24%. The positive rate of H5 avian influenza virus was the highest in urban and rural live poultry markets (3.44%, chi(2)=61.329, P<0.05) in 6 monitoring sites and wiping samples from chopping board (5.46%, chi(2)=67.072, P<0.05) in 6 sample types. H5N6 avian influenza viruses were detected more in eastern than western Hubei, and H5N6 avian influenza viruses were detected only in Xiangyang city of western Hubei. There were important high-risk places of human infection with H5 avian influenza virus in urban and rural live poultry markets and the poultry slaughtering plants. H5N6 has been the predominant subtype of H5 avian influenza viruses in the eastern and western Hubei and H5N6 avian influenza viruses were still present in a few areas of Hubei. Outbreaks of human H5N1 and H5N6 avian influenza remain at risk in Hubei province.