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感染禽类和人类的能力强调，人和动物的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人类流感大流行的可能性。我们对禽流感病毒在家禽和野生禽鸟体内的行为的了解有限。这一建议提出了一些基本问题，涉及禽流感病毒如何容易感染鸡、火鸡和鸭子；病毒在每个物种感染后释放多少和持续多长时间；禽流感病毒感染如何由禽类的免疫反应控制。这类基础研究将对短期和长期控制措施的设计和实施至关重要。

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.