When Pigs Fly: Pandemic influenza enters the 21st century

• Published in: PLoS pathogens 2020-03, Vol.16 (3), p.e1008259-e1008259
• Main Authors: Trovão, Nídia S, Nelson, Martha I
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal health; Animals; Asia; Biology and Life Sciences; Birds; Developing countries; Epidemics; Evolution, Molecular; Farms; Federal agencies; Genomics; Government agencies; History, 20th Century; History, 21st Century; Hogs; Host alternation; Humans; Influenza; Influenza A; Influenza A virus - genetics; Influenza A virus - physiology; Influenza in Birds - epidemiology; Influenza in Birds - history; Influenza in Birds - transmission; Influenza in Birds - virology; Influenza, Human - epidemiology; Influenza, Human - history; Influenza, Human - transmission; Influenza, Human - virology; International economic relations; LDCs; Livestock; Medicine and health sciences; Novels; Pandemics; Pandemics - history; Pathogenic microorganisms; Pearls; People and places; Pork industry; Public health; Reservoirs (Water); Swine; Swine Diseases - epidemiology; Swine Diseases - history; Swine Diseases - transmission; Swine Diseases - virology; Swine flu; Swine production; Switches; Viruses; Zoonoses
• ISSN: 1553-7374; 1553-7366; 1553-7374
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1008259

About the Authors: Nídia S. Trovão Affiliation: Fogarty International Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America ORCID logo http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2106-1166 Martha I. Nelson * E-mail: [e-mail] Affiliation: Fogarty International Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America ORCID logo http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4814-0179 Introduction Influenza A viruses (IAVs) are one of the most intensively studied pathogens, due to the severe global mortality and economic disruption associated with influenza pandemics [1]. In the latter decades of the 20th century, the replacement of small-scale swine farms with larger, more efficient production systems (Fig 1A) had profound effects on disease dynamics. (A) Trends in consolidation of swine production in the US, 1964 to 2012 (data available from the US Department of Agriculture and the National Agricultural Statistics Service Quick Stats Database). There are multiple challenges to understanding the human–animal interface for IAVs: (1) There is a need for coordination between animal health and public health research, (2) the genomics of host switches are too complex to accurately predict zoonotic potential from genetic sequence alone, and (3) spillover events can be rare and difficult to detect via traditional modes of virological surveillance, particularly in developing countries.