Avian influenza virus (AIV) continues to circulate among wild birds and has extensively spread to poultry, mammals, and humans, posing a significant public health threat. Recently, Professor Dong Lu's research team at the College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, published a study titled "Host-pathogen network and eco-evolutionary drivers of avian influenza transmission in wild birds" in the ecological journal Ecology Letters (IF = 7.9). From the perspective of complex networks and eco-evolutionary coupling, the study systematically identified 23 hub species within the global wild bird-AIV transmission network and elucidated the ecological and evolutionary mechanisms underlying their role as core hosts.

The abstract is as follows:

Multi-host pathogens vary in how they utilise different hosts, yet the traits determining which species occupy central positions in transmission networks remain poorly understood. We tested whether the wild bird–avian influenza virus (AIV) network exhibits a scale-free structure, implying that hub hosts disproportionately contribute to transmission and whether ecological and evolutionary traits jointly predict hub status. Using global infection records, we constructed a bipartite network linking 247 bird species to 105 AIV subtypes. Degree distributions followed a power-law pattern, confirming substantial heterogeneity in host importance. We identified 23 hub species, exclusively from Anseriformes and Charadriiformes. Interpretable machine learning revealed that hub species share strong flightability, prolonged water-surface foraging, greater longevity and higher diversification rates, indicating that both ecological exposure and evolutionary history influence hub status. These findings provide insight into host–pathogen network dynamics and highlight priority species for targeted AIV surveillance and control.

Reference:https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ele.70391