Avian influenza is a group of infectious diseases in birds caused by avian-adapted influenza A viruses (Orthomyxoviridae), characterized by segmented, negative-sense, single-stranded RNA genomes and diverse hemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N) subtypes. Strains are classified as low or highly pathogenic based on molecular determinants, particularly in the hemagglutinin cleavage site, and associated clinical severity in poultry. Research topics include viral ecology in wild waterfowl reservoirs, transmission dynamics at the wildlife–poultry–human interface, molecular evolution and reassortment, host-range restriction mechanisms, immune escape, and risk assessment for zoonotic spillover and pandemic potential.
Scientists have detected the highly contagious H5 bird flu in an Australian seabird for the first time, the government said Friday.
Veterinary medicine
Jul 10, 2026
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Australia is racing to contain the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), which is now believed to have infected seven seabirds.
Ecology
Jul 8, 2026
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26
The deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu has been found in seabirds in two Australian states.
Veterinary medicine
Jun 28, 2026
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19
Scientists have detected the highly contagious H5 bird flu strain in a second Australian state, the nation's agriculture minister said Wednesday.
Veterinary medicine
Jun 24, 2026
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5
On a remote beach near Esperance, Western Australia, two sick seabirds have brought the bird flu crisis to Australia.
Cell & Microbiology
Jun 22, 2026
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12
Scientists have detected the H5 strain of bird flu in Australia for the first time, the country's agriculture minister said Saturday, meaning the highly contagious variant has now spread to every continent.
Veterinary medicine
Jun 20, 2026
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26
When H5N1 bird flu first began infecting U.S. cattle in early 2024, diagnosis was elusive because, in cows, the disease looked completely different. Instead of affecting the lungs, as H5N1 does in other mammalian species, ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jun 19, 2026
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35
Australian Antarctic Program scientists are contributing to global understanding of the spread of H5 avian influenza (bird flu) with the release of findings from recent voyages to the remote sub-Antarctic Heard Island and ...
Ecology
Jun 18, 2026
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A pathogenic strain of bird flu killed more than 13,000 elephant seal pups after infecting a breeding colony on a sub-Antarctic volcanic island, Australian scientists said Thursday.
Ecology
Jun 18, 2026
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22
Husker scientists have developed a new swine influenza vaccination technique whose low cost and adaptability can greatly strengthen disease protection.
Biotechnology
Jun 17, 2026
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9
