Scientists from Dagestan State University (DSU), as part of an international group, have published the results of an analysis of virological, environmental and epidemiological data on avian influenza over the past 20 years. The results indicate the key role of the Caspian Sea as an important ecological node of a unified system for the spread of infectious diseases in animal populations, linking Eurasia and Africa.
Understanding how viruses travel with wild birds helps to more accurately assess the risks of infection and build an early warning system. This is especially true for territories located at the intersection of migration routes, where wetlands, coastal ecosystems and agricultural landscapes are closely connected.
One of the examples discussed in the article is the mass death of colonial birds on the islands of the northern part of the Caspian Sea in 2022-2023. Genomic analysis of the identified viruses showed signs of an intercontinental exchange of viral material and confirmed the importance of the Caspian region as an important zone in the global dynamics of avian influenza.
"The results of our research are not only fundamental, but also of applied importance. They create a scientific basis for more accurate epizootological monitoring, protection of biodiversity, risk assessment for veterinary medicine, poultry, livestock and human health, as well as for the development of international scientific cooperation in the Caspian region," said Alimurad Hajiyev, the first author of the article, Vice Rector for Scientific and Innovative Work at DSU.
The research was supported by the RNF–Dagestan competition (co-funded by the Russian Science Foundation and the Government of the Republic of Dagestan). In addition to DSU scientists, specialists from the Caspian Center for Nature Conservation, the Astrakhan Nature Reserve, the Research Institute of Virology of the FITZ FTM SB RAS and the Scientific Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology of the Veterinary University of Vienna (Austria) took part in it.
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