Black swans as sentinel species for the emergence of clade 2.3.4.4b highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) in Shanghai, China, 2024

Highlights

-A novel reassortant H5N1 virus detected in 15 sick black swans in Shanghai, China.
-Novel H5N1 virus in black swans suggests wild-domestic bird reassortant from East Asia.
-Susceptible black swans could serve as ideal sentinel species for HPAI early detection.