Waterfowl Spring Migratory Behavior and Avian Influenza Transmission Risk in the Changing Landscape of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway

Avian influenza has advanced from a regional concern to a global health issue with significant economic, trade, and public health implications. Wild birds, particularly waterfowl (Anseriformes), are known reservoirs for low-pathogenic avian influenza viruses (AIV) and recent studies have shown their potential in the spread of highly pathogenic forms of virus. East Asia remains an epicenter for the emergence of novel strains of AIV, however, information on movement ecology of waterfowl, and subsequently a clearer understanding of disease transmission risks in this region has been greatly lacking. To address this, we marked two species of wild waterfowl, northern pintail (Anas acuta) and Eurasian wigeon (Anas penelope), with satellite transmitters on their wintering grounds in Hong Kong, China to study the northward spring migration in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway in relation to disease transmission factors. Northern pintail were found to initiate migration 42 days earlier, travel 2,150 km farther, and perform 4.4 more stopovers than Eurasian wigeon. We found both species used similar stopover locations including areas along the Yangtze River near Shanghai, Bohai Bay and Korea Bay in rapidly developing regions of the Yellow Sea, and the Sea of Okhotsk where the species appeared to funnel through a migratory bottleneck. Both species appeared to exhibit strong habitat selection for rice paddies during migration stopovers, a habitat preference which has the potential to influence risks of AIV outbreaks as rapid land use and land cover changes occur throughout China. Both species had greatest association with H5N1 outbreaks during the early stages of migration when they were at lower latitudes. While Eurasian wigeon were not associated with outbreaks after the mean date of wintering ground departures, northern pintail were associated with outbreaks until the majority of individuals departed from the Yellow Sea, a migratory stopover location. Our results show species-level differences in migration timing and behavior for these common and widespread species, demonstrating the need to consider their unique temporal and spatial movement ecology when incorporating wild birds into AIV risk modeling and management

Movement ecology of five Afrotropical waterfowl species from Malawi, Mali and Nigeria §

Habitat availability for Afrotropical waterbirds is highly dynamic with unpredictable rainfall patterns and ephemeral wetlands resulting in diverse movement strategies among different species. Movement strategies among waterfowl encompass resident, regional and intercontinental migrants, but little quantitative information exists on their specific movement patterns. We studied the movement ecology of five Afrotropical waterfowl species marked with satellite transmitters in Malawi, Mali and Nigeria. Resident species, including White-faced Whistling Ducks Dendrocygna viduata, Fulvous Whistling Ducks Dendrocygna bicolor and Spur-winged Geese Plectropterus gambensis, remained sedentary during the rainy season and only flew limited distances during other months. In contrast, Knob-billed Ducks Sarkidiornis melanotos made short regional movements >50 km in all months and showed little site fidelity to previously used habitats in subsequent years. Garganey Anas quequedula followed an intercontinental strategy and made long-distance jumps across the Sahara and Mediterranean to their Eurasian breeding grounds. Most species flew farthest during the dry season, as mean daily movements varied from 1.5 to 14.2 km and was greatest in the winter months (January–March). Total distance moved varied from 9.5 km for White-faced Whistling Ducks (October–December) to 45.6 km for Knob-billed Ducks (April–June). Nomadic behaviour by Knob-billed Ducks was evidenced by long exploratory flights, but small mean daily movements suggested that they were relying on previous experience. Improving our understanding of these movement strategies increases our ability to assess connectivity of wetland resources that support waterfowl throughout their annual cycle and focuses conservation efforts on their most important habitats.Keywords: migration, nomadism, Sahel, satellite telemetry, sub-Saharan, waterfowl, wetland

Rapid Reengineering of Acute Medical Care for Medicare Beneficiaries: The Medicare Innovations Collaborative

In 2009 we described a geriatric service line or portfolio model of acute care-based models to improve care and reduce costs for high-cost Medicare beneficiaries with multiple chronic conditions. In this article we report the early results of the Medicare Innovations Collaborative, a collaborative program of technical assistance and peer-to-peer exchange to promote the simultaneous adoption of multiple complex care models by hospitals and health systems. We found that organizations did in fact adopt and implement multiple complex care models simultaneously; that these care models were appropriately integrated and adapted so as to enhance their adoptability within the hospital or health care system; and that these processes occurred rapidly, in less than one year. Members indicated that the perceived prestige of participation in the collaborative helped create incentives for change among their systems\u27 leaders and was one of the top two reasons for success. The Medicare Innovations Collaborative approach can serve as a model for health service delivery change, ultimately expanding beyond the acute care setting and into the community and often neglected postacute and long-term care arenas to redesign care for high-cost Medicare beneficiaries

Northward movement of ruddy shelduck in relation to HPAI H5N1 outbreaks in the Central Asian Flyway, 2005–2010.

<p>Paths of ruddy shelduck indicated in green, with outbreaks from poultry (red squares) and wild birds (yellow triangles). Poultry density (individuals/km²) in the Central Asian Flyway ranges from high (10,000–100,000: dark red), medium (1,000–10,000: orange), low (1–1,000: brown) and absent (grey).</p

Phylogeographic relationships of HPAI H5N1 in relation to bar-headed geese (purple) and ruddy shelduck (green) in the Central Asian Flyway, 2005–2010.

<p>Four subclades characterized the evolution of HPAI H5N1 in wild birds and poultry during this period (a) 2.2.1, (b) 2.2.2, (c) 2.2.3 and (d) 2.3.2. The hypothesized mode of virus movement includes; wild birds (yellow), poultry (black) or inconclusive (dashed).</p

Association of biweekly utilization distributions (UD) of bar-headed geese and ruddy shelduck with HPAI H5N1 outbreaks in the Central Asian Flyway.

<p>Strength of association was tested with Fisher's Exact tests and significant p-values (≤0.05) appear in bold.</p

Northward movement of bar-headed geese in relation to HPAI H5N1 outbreaks in the Central Asian Flyway, 2005–2010.

<p>Paths of bar-headed geese are indicated in purple, with outbreaks from poultry (red squares) and wild birds (yellow triangles). Poultry density (individuals/km²) in the Central Asian Flyway ranges from high (10,000–100,000: dark red), medium (1,000–10,000: orange), low (1–1,000: brown) and absent (grey).</p