One Flu for One Health

To the Editor: The emergence and spread of infl uenza A pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus from the animal reservoir to humans raise questions about the future approach to infl uenza virus infections. The scientifi c community has evidence demonstrating that infl uenza virus genes migrate across continents and animal species and assemble themselves in combinations that are a threat to animal and human health, resulting in panzootics like that caused by infl uenza A virus (H5N1) or pandemics like that caused by pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus. The latter virus emerged from the animal reservoir , containing a unique combination of genes donated by viruses originating from 3 species and 2 hemispheres. In a globalized environment, mapping gene movement across species and national borders and identifying mutations and gene constellations with pandemic potential or virulence determinants are essential to enact prevention and control strategies at a global level. This conclusion is in agreement with, and possibly the best example of, the One Health (http://un-infl uenza.org/ node/2341) vision: a multidisciplinary collaborative approach to improving the health of humans, animals, and the environment. One Health is endorsed by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Organisation for Animal Health, and the World Health Organization. Vast improvements in capacity building have been achieved as a result of the infl uenza A (H5N1) global crisis. Thousands of viral isolates with zoonotic potential have been obtained through surveillance efforts, although the genetic information has not been exploited fully. In addition, investigating how infl uenza viruses circulate in certain species, including dogs, pigs, and horses, has been neglected. This neglect is evidenced by the fact that, at the time of this writing, GenBank contained 4,001 full genome sequences of infl uenza viruses isolated from humans, 2,590 of viruses isolated from birds, and only 325 from swine, 85 from horses, 2 from mink, 4 from dogs, 2 from cats, 2 from tigers, and 3 from seals. We invite donors and international agencies to invest in a novel approach to infl uenza virus infections, to abandon prefi xed compartments linked to geographic origin or species of isolation, and to analyze the infl u-enza gene pool as one entity. We propose capitalizing on existing achievements and investments to develop an international network and a permanent observatory, which will improve our understanding of the dynamics of the infl uenza virus gene pool in animals and humans. A greater understanding …