Avian cholera causes mass mortality at penguin mega-colonies amid H5N1 HPAI outbreaks in Antarctica.
8 affiliations
- 1Department of Viroscience, Erasmus University Medical Center 1 , Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- 2Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health 2 , Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
- 3Instituto de Biología de Organismos Marinos (IBIOMAR-CONICET) 3 , Puerto Madryn, Argentina
- 4Ocean Expeditions Support Vessel S/V Australis 4 , Sydney, Australia
- 5Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research 5 , Potsdam, Germany
- 6Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Sistemas Alimentarios Sustentables (ICYTESAS-CONICET) 6 , Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
- 7Future Regions Research Centre, Federation University Australia 7 , Berwick, Australia
- 8Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center, One Health Institute, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California 8 , Davis, CA, USA
Abstract
The characterization of pathogens affecting Antarctic wildlife has been historically limited and sporadic. With the introduction of H5N1 high pathogenicity avian influenza virus (HPAIV) in Antarctica in the austral summer 2023/2024, concerns about the health of Antarctic seabirds and mammals prompted immediate surveillance efforts. In March 2024, we visited the Danger Islands archipelago, that hosts two mega-colonies of Adélie penguins, and observed an unusual mortality estimated in thousands of Adélie penguins and other species. Swabs and tissues were collected for molecular detection of infectious agents from 49 carcasses, and additional tissues for histology from a selection of 9 carcasses. We detected Pasteurella multocida DNA in 46 of 49 individuals, and diagnosed avian cholera as the cause of death of most of these animals. By shotgun sequencing, we retrieved the first genomic sequences of the P. multocida strain from this region, and the phylogenetic analysis showed a close relation with strains from other locations retrieved during the same expedition and with strains previously reported in the Southern Ocean area. This study confirms avian cholera as a relevant cause of mortality in the Antarctic, and overall highlights the importance of considering this disease in the differential diagnoses during mortality events in Antarctica.
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BibTeX
@article{iervolino2026avian,
title = {{Avian cholera causes mass mortality at penguin mega-colonies amid H5N1 HPAI outbreaks in Antarctica.}},
author = {Matteo Iervolino and Anne Günther and Leonard Schuele and Florencia Soto and Lonneke Leijten and Theo M. Bestebroer and Adam Coerper and Alice Reade and Ben Wallis and Simeon Lisovski and Gerardo Leotta and Martin Beer and Meagan Dewar and Thijs Kuiken and Lineke Begeman and Ralph E. T. Vanstreels},
journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1098/rspb.2026.1271},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42869479},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Avian cholera causes mass mortality at penguin mega-colonies amid H5N1 HPAI outbreaks in Antarctica.
AU - Matteo Iervolino
AU - Anne Günther
AU - Leonard Schuele
AU - Florencia Soto
AU - Lonneke Leijten
AU - Theo M. Bestebroer
AU - Adam Coerper
AU - Alice Reade
AU - Ben Wallis
AU - Simeon Lisovski
AU - Gerardo Leotta
AU - Martin Beer
AU - Meagan Dewar
AU - Thijs Kuiken
AU - Lineke Begeman
AU - Ralph E. T. Vanstreels
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Proceedings. Biological sciences
DO - 10.1098/rspb.2026.1271
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42869479
AB - The characterization of pathogens affecting Antarctic wildlife has been historically limited and sporadic. With the introduction of H5N1 high pathogenicity avian influenza virus (HPAIV) in Antarctica in the austral summer 2023/2024, concerns about the health of Antarctic seabirds and mammals prompted immediate surveillance efforts. In March 2024, we visited the Danger Islands archipelago, that hosts two mega-colonies of Adélie penguins, and observed an unusual mortality estimated in thousands of Adélie penguins and other species. Swabs and tissues were collected for molecular detection of infectious agents from 49 carcasses, and additional tissues for histology from a selection of 9 carcasses. We detected Pasteurella multocida DNA in 46 of 49 individuals, and diagnosed avian cholera as the cause of death of most of these animals. By shotgun sequencing, we retrieved the first genomic sequences of the P. multocida strain from this region, and the phylogenetic analysis showed a close relation with strains from other locations retrieved during the same expedition and with strains previously reported in the Southern Ocean area. This study confirms avian cholera as a relevant cause of mortality in the Antarctic, and overall highlights the importance of considering this disease in the differential diagnoses during mortality events in Antarctica.
SN - 0962-8452
SN - 1471-2954
SN - 0080-4649
SN - 2053-9193
ER -