Study sheds light on migration patterns and when poultry facilities are most susceptible to avian flu

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Study sheds light on migration patterns and when poultry facilities are most susceptible to avian flu

New research on migratory waterfowl is providing a first look into when commercial poultry facilities are at highest risk of avian influenza transmission.

Dr. Diann Prosser with the USGS Eastern Ecological Science Center says wild birds like ducks are natural reservoirs of avian flu that can transmit the disease to high-density poultry farms.

“So what we were interested in doing is to try and learn more about the wild birds and how they’re moving on the landscape, and how and when they might be at the highest risk of being within reach of potential poultry facilities.”

She tells Brownfield they studied the blue-winged teal, a common carrier of avian flu that breeds in the north-central U.S. up into Canada and migrates south to Mexico and Central America.

“And because they have such large spatial movements across the calendar year, we were able to use a great tool called satellite telemetry where we could put a small unit on the birds (that) doesn’t effect their movements and track them over large distances.”

Preliminary results indicate poultry facilities in northern states might be at higher risk of potential transmission during fall migration, and commercial chicken operations in southern states might be at higher risk in the spring.

Prosser says one way the poultry industry can use this data is to determine if additional biosecurity protocols might be warranted.  

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