Deadly avian flu strain is spreading rapidly in Antarctica

When the H5N1 avian influenza virus began killing seabirds on the Antarctic Peninsula 1 year ago, scientists wondered how fast the deadly pathogen would spread on the remote continent and how much damage it would do to its rich wildlife.

Now, they have some answers. In the past 6 weeks, the sailboat Australis has traveled along the shores of the peninsula, whose northern tip is just 650 kilometers from South America. Eight researchers dressed from head to toe in protective gear disembarked at 27 sites to swab animals and test carcasses. They found the virus in all but three locales, affecting a total of 13 bird and mammal species. “The virus has reached every corner [of the peninsula] and is infecting almost every animal species,” says expedition leader Antonio Alcamí, a microbiologist with the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC).