Pathogens in the Aquatic Environment – Waterfowl, Avian Influenza
USGS research is investigating the prevalence and strains of avian influenza viruses in the aquatic environment, how those viruses compare to those circulating within wild birds in the same area, and how viruses persist in the environment across seasons.
Wild waterfowl serve as hosts for low and highly pathogenic avian influenza, moving the viruses across space and time. Although birds can transmit virus directly between individuals, indirect transmission via the fecal-oral route is believed to be more common. This occurs when a bird sheds virus into the aquatic environment via their feces, which are then consumed when another bird feeds in the water. Given the importance of the aquatic interface for the spread of avian influenza, there may be potential to use water or sediment sampling in place of directly sampling live birds to more easily assess the diversity of viral strains circulating in wild birds at a specific location. Researchers with the USGS are working to refine methods to facilitate such testing and allow comparison with samples taken from wild birds.
Similarly, understanding how long virus persists in water and sediment could provide insight into how viral strains persist across seasons and potential methods to break the transmission cycle. Previous work by USGS researchers found that virus remained infectious in marshes of Alaska and Minnesota for more than seven months, allowing virus shed in the fall to infect birds the following spring.
<< Back to Avian Influenza Research at EESC
USGS research is investigating the prevalence and strains of avian influenza viruses in the aquatic environment, how those viruses compare to those circulating within wild birds in the same area, and how viruses persist in the environment across seasons.
Wild waterfowl serve as hosts for low and highly pathogenic avian influenza, moving the viruses across space and time. Although birds can transmit virus directly between individuals, indirect transmission via the fecal-oral route is believed to be more common. This occurs when a bird sheds virus into the aquatic environment via their feces, which are then consumed when another bird feeds in the water. Given the importance of the aquatic interface for the spread of avian influenza, there may be potential to use water or sediment sampling in place of directly sampling live birds to more easily assess the diversity of viral strains circulating in wild birds at a specific location. Researchers with the USGS are working to refine methods to facilitate such testing and allow comparison with samples taken from wild birds.
Similarly, understanding how long virus persists in water and sediment could provide insight into how viral strains persist across seasons and potential methods to break the transmission cycle. Previous work by USGS researchers found that virus remained infectious in marshes of Alaska and Minnesota for more than seven months, allowing virus shed in the fall to infect birds the following spring.
<< Back to Avian Influenza Research at EESC