Survival rate of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses at different temperatures

The survival rate of Korean H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses was investigated at different temperatures under the laboratory conditions. The estimated survival days for a starting viral concentration of 10⁶.⁵ 50% egg infectious dose/0.1 mL were 930, 1,042, and 3,213 d at 4°C; 226, 232, and 293 d at 20°C; and 51, 55, and 58 d at 30°C for A/chicken/Korea/ES/03, A/chicken/Korea/IS/06, and A/chicken/Korea/Gimje/08 (Gimje/08) viruses, respectively. The stability of the Gimje/08 virus was statistically significant compared with the other 2 viruses except for the data between Gimje/08 and A/chicken/Korea/IS/06 virus at 30°C. This result indicated that the survival rate of 3 Korean HPAI viruses is different at various temperatures, which might have partially influenced the large scale of HPAI outbreak in Korea in 2008.