Silent travelers: the potential of migratory birds and their ticks to introduce emerging viruses into Switzerland

Migratory birds and their ticks in Switzerland showed a broad wild-bird virome, including the first Swiss detection of Bole tick virus 4 (BoTV4) in Rhipicephalus turanicus.

• Why it matters: Emerging zoonotic viruses and tick-borne pathogens may be introduced via long-distance movement, but Switzerland lacked active surveillance of the wild bird virome and tick-associated viruses.
• What they did: Over seven months in 2023, 42 bird species were sampled in Ticino (496 oropharyngeal-cloacal swabs, 164 sera, 22 ticks) using RT-qPCR, ELISA, and metagenomic next-generation sequencing.
• The result: No active WNV or AIV infections were detected, Orthoflavivirus antibodies appeared in 15 of 164 sera, and metagenomics found 33 viral families; BoTV4 was detected in several ticks linked to long-distance migrants.

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