Serological analysis in humans in Malaysian Borneo suggests prior exposure to H5 avian influenza near migratory shorebird habitats

Nature Communications volume  15, Article number: 8863 (2024 ) Cite this article

Cases of H5 highly pathogenic avian influenzas (HPAI) are on the rise. Although mammalian spillover events are rare, H5N1 viruses have an estimated mortality rate in humans of 60%. No human cases of H5 infection have been reported in Malaysian Borneo, but HPAI has circulated in poultry and migratory avian species transiting through the region. Recent deforestation in coastal habitats in Malaysian Borneo may increase the proximity between humans and migratory birds. We hypothesise that higher rates of human-animal contact, caused by this habitat destruction, will increase the likelihood of potential zoonotic spillover events. In 2015, an environmentally stratified cross-sectional survey was conducted collecting geolocated questionnaire data in 10,100 individuals. A serological survey of these individuals reveals evidence of H5 neutralisation that persisted following depletion of seasonal H1/H3 HA binding antibodies from the plasma. The presence of these antibodies suggests that some individuals living near migratory sites may have been exposed to H5 HA. There is a spatial and environmental overlap between individuals displaying high H5 HA binding and the distribution of migratory birds. We have developed a novel surveillance approach including both spatial and serological data to detect potential spillover events, highlighting the urgent need to study cross-species pathogen transmission in migratory zones.

Cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) are on the rise in poultry and wild bird populations. Of particular concern is the influenza A(H5N1) clade 2.3.4.4b, which has been responsible for a striking increase in deaths in wild birds and domesticated poultry since 20201. The World Organisation for Animal Health estimated that in 2022 at least 131 million domestic poultry succumbed to the virus or were culled due to exposure to the virus2.

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