Seasonal Bird Migration Could Explain Regional Synchronicity and Amplification in Human West Nile Virus Case Numbers

Abstract

West Nile virus (WNV) is a zoonotic virus with a mosquito-avian transmission cycle having occasional spillover to mammals. A network analysis of annual log-transformed WNV case numbers (2003–2022) generated four spatially and temporally coherent clusters among 48 U.S. states and six Canadian provinces. Cluster 1 and Cluster 3 were the largest groups corresponding to the Central Flyway and the closely associated Eastern Flyway (with an east-coast subset). Cluster 2 and Cluster 4 corresponded with less-well defined segments of a distinctly different Western Flyway. Thus, clustering can be explained by migratory pathways of terrestrial birds. We investigated avian involvement in the spread of WNV from potential sources in the southern U.S. Analyses revealed consistent patterns in log-transformed case numbers of human WNV. This study highlights the significant role of migratory birds in shaping the spatiotemporal patterns of WNV incidence across North America. However, the observed variability in incidence also likely reflects the interplay of other factors including local environmental conditions, mosquito populations, and regional variations in both migratory and non-migratory bird populations.