Ohio State University Extension and the College of Veterinary Medicine are leading a coordinated effort in the first national surveillance network to examine the avian influenza virus in wild birds.

This comprehensive research project could lead to answers on how birds and poultry affect wild avian influenza viruses. Results could also lead to improvements in educational and outreach efforts for producers and ultimately help protect public health.

The study is looking especially at the high pathogenic Asian subtype H5N1. The term high pathogenic indicates the severity of the disease — generally causing death in most birds that become infected with the virus.

“Wild birds are a reservoir of any one of 144 avian influenza virus subtypes,” said Dick Slemons, a professor in Ohio State’s College of Veterinary Medicine who has been studying avian influenza viruses in wild birds for more than 35 years. “In order to prevent and control future low pathogenic and high pathogenic avian influenza outbreaks in commercial poultry, we must gain additional knowledge on the roles being played by wild birds and wild-bird origin influenza viruses, and then improve upon current prevention and control strategies.”

Part of the research involves using GPS and GIS technologies to track migratory waterfowl flyways, detect avian influenza virus isolates, and study the relationship between the two and its impact on poultry.

“GPS and GIS technologies are allowing us to collect environmental data from site-specific and point-in-time locations and query relationships between such things as bird species, water and terrestrial habitats, and basic environmental properties,” said Nathan Watermeier, an OSU Extension geospatial specialist. “From this information, we’ll be able to build a comprehensive geo-database that will help us determine where we should be sampling and how we should be sampling for avian influenza viruses. What is the risk from interaction between wild birds and domestic birds? How do we protect the ag industry and public health? This effort will help us answer those questions.”

The surveillance network is a part of a three-year, $5-million USDA Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service Coordinated Agricultural Project (CAP) grant, representing 17 universities, research centers, and government agencies from nine states.

The project, launched in 2005, has so far tested more than 5,600 wild birds from Alaska to Delaware and identified 61 avian influenza virus subtypes, all low pathogenic. The Asian influenza virus, H5N1, has not been identified.

“It’s important to note that when we say high pathogenic, we are referring to how severely the virus affects poultry. Avian influenza viruses are host adapted, meaning that just because a virus subtype is high pathogenic in wild birds, doesn’t mean it’s high pathogenic in poultry,” Slemons said. “That’s why this surveillance system is so important to tracking the movement of the viruses through wild bird populations and into and out of poultry,” Slemons said.