B Acad Nat Med Paris
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B Acad Nat Med Paris · Nov 2005
Review[Highly pathogenic avian influenza in poultry (fowl plague); implications for human health].
Since 1997, high-pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) virus infection in poultry "avian plague" has emerged as a potential threat to human health, with some fatal cases of bird-to-human transmission. These sporadic infections are caused by H7N7 and H5N1 viruses in Europe and Asia, respectively. The persistence of H5N1 viruses in poultry in several Asian countries, and their appearance in Europe, has raised concerns that the virus might mutate or recombine to create a human pandemic influenza A virus. ⋯ Low-pathogenicity avian influenza (LPAI) viruses cause localized respiratory and gastrointestinal tract infection and, unlike HPAI viruses, are not detected in blood, muscle or eggs. Detection of HPAI viruses in meat, blood and internal organs of chickens and ducks raises public health concerns and underlines the need to thoroughly cook poultry and eggs consumed in Asia. The last case of HPA1 virus infection in France was notified in 1955.