Black-headed gulls in Germany, gannets in the UK, grizzlies in the USA, sea lions in Chile and poultry in many countries - never before has the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) of the subtype H5 circulated to such an extent and caused so many spillover infections in mammals. From a seasonal epidemic to a panzootic, the virus is preoccupying scientists, farmers, ornithologists and authorities.

Martin Beer, Coordinator of the Kappa-FLU Consortium: "In this time of dramatic H5N1 outbreaks, KAPPA-FLU allows us to bring together a wealth of research expertise to address urgent research questions such as the factors that drive the spread of these viruses or the risk of zoonotic transmission."