PLoS ONE (Jan 2013)

Seroprevalence of antibodies against highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1) virus among poultry workers in Bangladesh, 2009.

  • Sharifa Nasreen,
  • Salah Uddin Khan,
  • Eduardo Azziz-Baumgartner,
  • Kathy Hancock,
  • Vic Veguilla,
  • David Wang,
  • Mahmudur Rahman,
  • A S M Alamgir,
  • Katharine Sturm-Ramirez,
  • Emily S Gurley,
  • Stephen P Luby,
  • Jacqueline M Katz,
  • Timothy M Uyeki

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0073200
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 8, no. 9
p. e73200

Abstract

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We conducted a cross-sectional study in 2009 to determine the seroprevalence and risk factors for highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1) [HPAI H5N1] virus antibodies among poultry workers at farms and live bird markets with confirmed/suspected poultry outbreaks during 2009 in Bangladesh. We tested sera by microneutralization assay using A/Bangladesh/207095/2008 (H5N1; clade 2.2.2) virus with confirmation by horse red blood cell hemagglutination inhibition and H5-specific Western blot assays. We enrolled 212 workers from 87 farms and 210 workers from three live bird markets. One hundred and two farm workers (48%) culled poultry. One hundred and ninety-three farm workers (91%) and 178 market workers (85%) reported direct contact with poultry that died during a laboratory confirmed HPAI H5N1 poultry farm outbreak or market poultry die-offs from suspected HPAI H5N1. Despite exposure to sick poultry, no farm or market poultry workers were seropositive for HPAI H5N1 virus antibodies (95% confidence interval 0-1%).