Virus transmission dynamics and the immune response of birds to avian influenza.

H5N1高致病性禽流感病毒的全球传播及其不仅感染禽类而且感染人类的能力强调了人类和动物健康不可避免地联系在一起。目前，禽流感仍然是一个迫切需要控制的动物疾病问题，但对禽类的控制也将减少发生人类流感大流行的可能性。我们对禽流感病毒在家禽和野鸟中的行为了解有限。这一建议提出了一些基本问题，即病毒是如何轻易感染鸡、火鸡和鸭的；每个物种感染后病毒脱落的数量和时间；禽鸟的免疫反应如何控制禽流感病毒感染。这类基础研究对于设计和实施短期和长期的控制措施至关重要。

The global spread of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses and their ability to infect not only birds but humans emphasises that human and animal health are unavoidably linked. At present avian influenza remains an animal disease problem under urgent need for control but control in birds will also reduce the potential for a human influenza pandemic. Our knowledge of the behaviour of avian influenza viruses in domestic fowl and wild birds is limited. This proposal poses some fundamental questions that address how the easily the virus can infect chickens, turkeys and ducks; how much, and for how long, virus is shed following infection in each species; and how avian influenza virus infection is controlled by the immune response of birds. Fundamental studies of this type will be critical to the design and implementation of control measures in the short term and the long term.