Please see a comment in a ProMed posting from today
"[Dr Litvin's statement about the role of wild birds in the dissemination of H5N1 is probably based upon the results of virological investigations carried out in 2 laboratories, namely the Federal Centre for Animal Health (FGI-ARRIAH) in Vladimir (national reference laboratory for avian influenza) and the State Scientific Centre for Virology and Biotechnology in Novosibirsk ('NPC Vector'). The data are included in Russia's follow-up report No 5, sent 27 Dec 2005 to the OIE (see )".
Phylogenetic trees constructed from fragments of the HA gene (nucleotides 801-1113 ) and NA gene (nucleotides 605-937 ) show that Russian isolates of the year 2005 exhibit greatest sequence similarity with the A/Qinghai/05 H5N1 group of isolates.
The HA gene homology was shown in the following isolates: A/mallard/Kalmykia/09/2005
A/swan/Astrakhan/04/05
A/wild duck/Kurgan/01/2005
A/wild duck/Omsk/01/2005
A/duck/Novosibirsk/04e1/2005
A/chicken/Crimea/06/2005
A/duck/Novosibirsk/02e1/2005
A/gull/Kurgan/02/2005
A/duck/Tumen/02/2005
A/Bar-headed Goose/Qinghai/5/05
A/chicken/Chelyabinsk/05/2005
A/wild duck/Tumen/01/2005
For the detailed dendograms, see:
Fig 1. Phylogenetic tree. HA gene
http://www.oie.int/cartes/TABA18_52RUS2.PDF
Fig 2. Phylogenetic tree. NA gene
http://www.oie.int/cartes/TABA18_52RUS3.PDF.
The inclusion of the Crimean (Ukraine) isolate underlines the claim that the virus has been transported by wild birds. - Mod.AS]
There is, indeed, evidence that migratory birds are spreading this disease.
Migratory ducks. I was thinking of your "regular birds".
All in all, still no reason to panic. It's happening in third world countries because of bad sanitation habits and not just falling from the sky.
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/News/avian_flu.htm
Unfortunately, evidence indicates that migratory birds ARE spreading H5N1 - but unlike chickens, who die when infected, ducks can be carriers without evincing any symptoms of the disease...