The current panzootic spread of high pathogenicity avian influenza virus (HPAIV) subtype H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b has caused unprecedented mortality in wild animals worldwide¹. In 2022, the virus caused mass mortality of seabirds and marine mammals in South America, which raised concerns about HPAIV spreading to Antarctica. The wildlife in Antarctica is seasonally dense due to high populations found in breading colonies of birds and mammals, and many Antarctic sites are remote and difficult to access, meaning that HPAIV could have dramatic effects on its fauna without immediately being noticed. As a result, surveillance efforts in this area are crucial.

The detection of HPAIV in the sub-Antarctic islands of South Georgia was first reported in October 2023. It caused considerable mortalities of seabirds (for example, skuas, gulls and albatrosses) and marine mammals (for example, elephant seals and sea lions) during the subsequent months². Recent phylogenetic analyses of the viral sequences from South Georgia demonstrated a single introduction from South America². Wildlife mortality suspected to be related to HPAIV was reported in Antarctica as early as November 2023 (ref. ³). The first case of HPAIV in Antarctica was confirmed in skuas (Stercorarius sp.) found dead in January 2024 near the Argentinian Primavera Base (Danco Coast, Antarctic Peninsula) and tested in February 2024 in a molecular diagnostic laboratory set up at the Spanish Gabriel de Castilla Station (Deception Island, South Shetland Islands)⁴. Having this on-site laboratory showed it was possible to perform the diagnoses in Antarctica itself, which gives results much faster and avoids the risk of losing sample quality during transport to laboratories outside Antarctica. HPAIV was later reported in dead skuas near the Czech Johann Gregor Mendel base⁵. The finding of sporadic or potential cases of HPAIV-infected skuas indicated that the virus had reached Antarctica. In response, we launched the Australis expedition to investigate the spread and impact of HPAIV at several remote sites, following a direct field diagnostic approach with a mobile laboratory on board.

目前高致病性禽流感病毒 （HPAIV） 亚型 H5N1 分支 2.3.4.4b 的泛动物病传播已导致全球野生动物出现前所未有的死亡¹。2022 年，该病毒导致南美洲海鸟和海洋哺乳动物大量死亡，这引发了人们对 HPAIV 传播到南极洲的担忧。由于在鸟类和哺乳动物的面包屑群落中发现了大量的种群，南极洲的野生动物季节性密集，而且许多南极地点偏远且难以进入，这意味着 HPAIV 可能会对其动物群产生巨大影响，而不会立即被注意到。因此，这一领域的监测工作至关重要。

2023 年 10 月首次报道了在南乔治亚南极岛屿检测到 HPAIV 的情况。在随后的几个月里，它导致海鸟（例如贼鸥、海鸥和信天翁）和海洋哺乳动物（例如象海豹和海狮）大量死亡²。最近对来自南乔治亚州的病毒序列的系统发育分析表明，来自南美洲的单一引入².早在 2023 年 11 月，南极洲就报告了疑似与 HPAIV 相关的野生动物死亡（参考文献 ³）。南极洲首例 HPAIV 病例于 2024 年 1 月在阿根廷 Primavera 基地（南极半岛丹科海岸）附近被发现死亡的贼鸥 （Stercorarius sp.） 中得到确认，并于 2024 年 2 月在西班牙加布里埃尔·德卡斯蒂利亚站（南设得兰群岛欺骗岛）设立的分子诊断实验室中进行了检测⁴.拥有这个现场实验室表明，可以在南极洲本身进行诊断，这样可以更快地给出结果，并避免在运输到南极洲以外的实验室时出现样本质量损失的风险。后来在捷克 Johann Gregor Mendel 基地⁵ 附近的死亡贼骆中报道了 HPAIV。发现零星或潜在感染 HPAIV 的 SKU 病例表明该病毒已经到达南极洲。作为回应，我们发起了 Australis 考察，以调查 HPAIV 在几个偏远地点的传播和影响，采用直接的现场诊断方法，并在船上设有移动实验室。