RISK FACTORS OF AVIAN INFLUENZA VIRUS CONTAMINATION AT PERIURBAN AND RURAL LIVE BIRD MARKETS IN BANGLADESH

Intro: Avian influenza viruses (AIV) have been frequently detected in live bird markets (LBMs), primarily in urban areas LBMs are potential sources of AIV, especially for spillover to other species, including humans. We aimed to investigate the diversity, prevalence, and associated risk factors of circulating AIVs in peri-urban and rural markets in Bangladesh. Methods: We collected 200 pool environmental fecal or offal swabs samples from 63 LBMs in 4 sub-districts between 2017 and 2018. We tested the samples for the AIV matrix gene (M-gene) followed by H5, H7, and H9 subtypes using real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR). We conducted a univariable analysis and then generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) to identify the associated risk factors of AIV. Findings: We found an 80.95% (95% CI: 69.09-89.75) overall prevalence of AIV at the LBM level. Stall level prevalence for both A/H5 and A/H9 was 7.5% (95% CI: 4.26-12.07) and for HA/untyped was 25.5% (95% CI: 19.61-32.13). We did not find any samples positive for A/H7. In GLMM, we considered LBMs as random effects which did not show any extra variability in the model. In GLMM, we identified peri-urban market, presence of ducks, no separation of sick birds, source of birds from the middlemen, cleaning with water only, access of dogs, throwing wastage in an open place, and observed wild birds, were significantly associated with AIV contamination at stall level in LBMs. Conclusion: We found a high level of different AIVs circulating in the LBMs in the peri-urban and rural areas. A lack of proper biosecurity practices in the poultry stalls could risk AIV spillover from poultry to humans. We recommend continuous monitoring for the emergence of novel strains of AIV and ensuring the biosecurity practices in LBMs in peri-urban and rural settings.