Connecting the study of wild influenza with the potential for pandemic disease

•We review literature exploring how study of wild influenza is connected to concern for human disease.•We point out important gaps in surveillance studies of wild birds, mammals, and the environment.•We review the important adaptations identified for potential emergence of wild influenza virus as pandemic human virus.•Additional emphasis is placed on the molecular determinants that govern interspecies movements of influenza.

Continuing outbreaks of pathogenic (H5N1) and pandemic (SOIVH1N1) influenza have underscored the need to understand the origin, characteristics, and evolution of novel influenza A virus (IAV) variants that pose a threat to human health. In the last 4-5 years, focus has been placed on the organization of large-scale surveillance programs to examine the phylogenetics of avian influenza virus (AIV) and host-virus relationships in domestic and wild animals. Here we review the current gaps in wild animal and environmental surveillance and the current understanding of genetic signatures in potentially pandemic strains.