Scienceline Publications World'€™s Veterinary Journal 2322-4568 11 2 2021 June Prevalence of Avian Influenza H5N6 in Birds: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Other Viral Zoonosis 146 156 http://wvj.science-line.com/attachments/article/65/WVJ%2011(2)%20146-156,%20June%2025,%202021.pdf EN D. Katterine Bonilla-Aldana Semillero de Investigación en Zoonosis (SIZOO), Grupo de Investigación BIOECOS, Fundación Universitaria Autónoma de las Américas, Sede Pereira, Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia; Grupo colaborativo de investigación en Enfermedades Transmitidas por vectores, Zoonóticas y tropicales de Risaralda (GETZ), Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia Yeimer Holguin-Rivera Grupo colaborativo de investigación en Enfermedades Transmitidas por vectores, Zoonóticas y tropicales de Risaralda (GETZ), Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia Isabella Cortes-Bonilla Grupo colaborativo de investigación en Enfermedades Transmitidas por vectores, Zoonóticas y tropicales de Risaralda (GETZ), Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia María C. Cardona-Trujillo Grupo colaborativo de investigación en Enfermedades Transmitidas por vectores, Zoonóticas y tropicales de Risaralda (GETZ), Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia Alejandra García-Barco Grupo colaborativo de investigación en Enfermedades Transmitidas por vectores, Zoonóticas y tropicales de Risaralda (GETZ), Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia Hugo A. Bedoya-Arias Grupo colaborativo de investigación en Enfermedades Transmitidas por vectores, Zoonóticas y tropicales de Risaralda (GETZ), Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia Leidy Jhoana Patiño-Cadavid Grupo colaborativo de investigación en Enfermedades Transmitidas por vectores, Zoonóticas y tropicales de Risaralda (GETZ), Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia Mateo Aguirre-Florez Grupo colaborativo de investigación en Enfermedades Transmitidas por vectores, Zoonóticas y tropicales de Risaralda (GETZ), Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia Graciela J. Balbin-Ramon Master of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Universidad Científica del Sur, Lima, Peru; Hospital de Emergencias Jose Casimiro Ulloa, Lima, Peru ⁠Delcy C Erazo-Arana Grupo colaborativo de investigación en Enfermedades Transmitidas por vectores, Zoonóticas y tropicales de Risaralda (GETZ), Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia Lysien I. Zambrano Scientific Research Unit, School of Medical Sciences, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras (UNAH), Tegucigalpa, Honduras Luis Perez-Garcia Instituto de Investigaciones Biomedicas IDB / Incubadora Venezolana de la Ciencia, Cabudare, Edo. Lara, Venezue Alfonso J. Rodriguez-Morales Grupo colaborativo de investigación en Enfermedades Transmitidas por vectores, Zoonóticas y tropicales de Risaralda (GETZ), Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia; Master of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Universidad Científica del Sur, Lima, Peru; Grupo de Investigación Biomedicina, Faculty of Medicine, Fundación Universitaria Autónoma de las Américas, Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia Alberto Paniz-Mondolf Instituto de Investigaciones Biomedicas IDB / Incubadora Venezolana de la Ciencia, Cabudare, Edo. Lara, Venezue;Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA; Laboratorio de Señalización Celular y Bioquímica de Parásitos, Instituto de Estudios Avanzados (IDEA), Caracas, Caracas, Venezuela; Academia Nacional de Medicina, Caracas, Venezuela Avian influenza viruses (AIV) are zoonotic pathogens that can potentially affect humans and potentially be epidemic in a region. Birds (such as poultry and wild birds) serve as potential reservoirs for these viruses, highlighting the importance of determining AIV prevalence in the avian population. No systematic reviews have been published on this issue in the world so far. The present systematic literature review following the PRISMA standard, with meta-analysis, used three databases to globally assess the Influenza H5N6 infection in birds (including poultry and wild birds). A model of random-effects meta-analysis was performed to calculate the pooled prevalence and 95% Confidence Interval (95% CI) for the prevalence of Influenza H5N6 infection in birds. A total number of 14,605 articles published from 2015 to 2020 were retrieved. After screening the abstract/title, 37 articles were selected for full-text assessment, and 15 were included for qualitative and quantitative analyses. Of the total number of birds (n = 13,416 birds), the pool prevalence by RT-PCR was 3.5% (95% CI: 2.8-4.3%). From the total, 39.67% of the birds assessed were ducks (family Anatidae), in which pool prevalence was 7.7% (95% CI: 4.4-11.0). In chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus), the pool prevalence was 3.3% (95% CI 1.9-4.8). Vietnam was the country with the highest pool prevalence; 7.9% (95% CI 4.0-11.7%). Bangladesh was the country with the lowest pool prevalence of 0.4% (95% CI 0.2-0.7%). A considerable proportion of infected birds tested positive highlighted the relevance of individual animals as reservoirs of H5N6. Ducks and chickens were found to be positive by RT-PCR in over 3% of the cases. These data suggest their relevance in maintaining zoonotic transmission and their potential implications for epidemics and even pandemics in the near future. H5N6 Influenza Meta-Analysis Molecular diagnosis RT-PCR Systematic Review