Understanding the environmental pathways of avian influenza transmission
This project focuses on improving our understanding of how avian influenza viruses persist and spread via the environment and wild waterfowl.
In wild bird populations, influenza is transmitted through the environment, including via fecal-oral transmission and from influenza virions that persist in water and/or soil. Upon introduction into a naïve population, highly pathogenic strains of avian influenza viruses (HPAI) have variable outcomes: some spread quickly, others cause substantial mortality, and some fail to invade at all. This project seeks to utilize SEIR modeling, which simulates birds moving through multiple infection states (susceptible, exposed, infected, recovered) based upon various input parameters, to understand how variation in viral strain characteristics (e.g., ability to persist in the environment) influence the outcomes of HPAI introduction into a wild bird population. The knowledge gained will be highly valuable for understanding the risk posed by any emergent AIV strains.
Our work is also trying to understand the how infection with low pathogenic avian influenza impacts the movement ecology of wild birds, and what this means for their potential to serve as vectors for this disease. For instance, we have conducted studies finding that previous exposure to mercury contamination increases likelihood of a bird having been infected with avian influenza. We are also exploring the factors that drive spatio-temporal overlap between wild waterfowl and domestic poultry production facilities.
It is our hope that lessons learned from this project will help inform response efforts to current and future outbreaks.
This project focuses on improving our understanding of how avian influenza viruses persist and spread via the environment and wild waterfowl.
In wild bird populations, influenza is transmitted through the environment, including via fecal-oral transmission and from influenza virions that persist in water and/or soil. Upon introduction into a naïve population, highly pathogenic strains of avian influenza viruses (HPAI) have variable outcomes: some spread quickly, others cause substantial mortality, and some fail to invade at all. This project seeks to utilize SEIR modeling, which simulates birds moving through multiple infection states (susceptible, exposed, infected, recovered) based upon various input parameters, to understand how variation in viral strain characteristics (e.g., ability to persist in the environment) influence the outcomes of HPAI introduction into a wild bird population. The knowledge gained will be highly valuable for understanding the risk posed by any emergent AIV strains.
Our work is also trying to understand the how infection with low pathogenic avian influenza impacts the movement ecology of wild birds, and what this means for their potential to serve as vectors for this disease. For instance, we have conducted studies finding that previous exposure to mercury contamination increases likelihood of a bird having been infected with avian influenza. We are also exploring the factors that drive spatio-temporal overlap between wild waterfowl and domestic poultry production facilities.
It is our hope that lessons learned from this project will help inform response efforts to current and future outbreaks.