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MU Tracking Spread of Bird Flu, One Test at a Time

MU Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Lab helps identify avian influenza among Missouri poultry.


Throughout the country, an extremely infectious disease called highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has been circulating rapidly among flocks of chicken and turkeys.While the disease poses little risk to humans, it presents a serious threat to infected birds as well as the nation’s poultry industry, which is already facing supply chain disruptions.

At the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, the Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (VMDL) is on the frontlines, tracking the disease and alerting veterinary officials to confirmed cases of the virus in poultry. When the first presumed HPAI case turned up on March 3 in Stoddard County, Missouri, MU’s VMDL ran the test.

“Missouri ranks in the top 10 of broiler production and is also an important source for egg production and turkeys,” said Daniel Shaw, a professor emeritus of veterinary pathobiology and a researcher at MU’s VMDL. “Our ultimate goals are to keep animals healthy, support the agriculture and farming industries in Missouri, and help poultry producers monitor their flocks by quickly testing for suspected cases.”

During the last outbreak of HPAI in 2015, the virus affected flocks throughout the country, resulting in almost $3 billion in economic impacts and the deaths of an estimated 50 million birds. This year, it has already been found in 23 states and nearly 17 million birds, leading to entire flocks being euthanized in an effort to limit the spread of the virus, as well as an increase in egg and chicken prices at grocery stores.

“When birds present signs of possible infection, such as decreased eating or drinking, they are given throat-swab PCR tests, similar to those performed to screen for COVID-19,” Shaw said. “These samples are sent to our VMDL here in Columbia, where we work to process the samples to provide results to the poultry producers, often in less than four hours.”

MU’s VMDL, led by Shuping Zhang, a professor in the MU College of Veterinary Medicine, performed more than 162,000 diagnostic tests in 2021 for a range of animal diseases, including chronic wasting disease in deer and African swine fever in pigs. The efforts have helped protect both animal health and the agriculture and farming industries, which are critical to Missouri’s economy.

Shaw explained wild waterfowl act as carriers of HPAI, producing and shedding large amounts of the virus in nasal secretions and fecal material.

“The virus is preserved by cool, moist conditions and protected by mucus and fecal material,” Shaw said. “It can easily infect poultry flocks, particularly those that are free-range or in small, backyard populations.”

Since people and equipment are common means of transmission of the virus between farms, strong bio-security strategies are encouraged, including feed delivery trucks unloading from outside farms and requiring those entering to put on clean shoes and protective suits.

“In the weeks and months ahead, we will continue tracking HPAI and supporting farmers navigating the challenges brought on by this outbreak,” Shaw said. “We are simply doing our part to keep animals healthy, help poultry producers and support our state’s vital agriculture industry.”

Story courtesy of Show Me Mizzou
Contact: Brian Consiglio, 573-882-9144, consigliob@missouri.edu

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Filed Under: News

Upcoming dates & events

Jun
1
Thu
all-day Street Dog Coalition Donation Drive @ College of Veterinary Medicine
Street Dog Coalition Donation Drive @ College of Veterinary Medicine
Jun 1 – Jun 20 all-day
Shelter Medicine, Behavior, and One Health clubs have been given the fantastic opportunity to collaborate with the Street Dog Coalition, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting unhoused people and their pets. They host quarterly clinics[...]
Jun
6
Tue
all-day Veterinary Textbook Drive for So... @ College of Veterinary Medicine
Veterinary Textbook Drive for So... @ College of Veterinary Medicine
Jun 6 – Jul 5 all-day
The group of VM3s traveling to South Africa this summer is collecting veterinary textbooks to donate to a program called Vet Books for Africa, an initiative to distribute veterinary medicine books to schools in countries[...]
Jun
7
Wed
6:00 pm CVM Crafty Club @ Dogwood Café
CVM Crafty Club @ Dogwood Café
Jun 7 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Crafting night! Do you knit, crochet, weave, spin, or do something else that is portable enough to sit around and chat with vet med peeps? We will sit and chat, chitter, kibbitz, or bemoan, and[...]
Jun
13
Tue
1:30 pm Paid-Time-Off (PTO) Plan Q&A Ses... @ W233 Vet Med Bldg
Paid-Time-Off (PTO) Plan Q&A Ses... @ W233 Vet Med Bldg
Jun 13 @ 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm
Human Resources representatives to answer questions and help us understand the process.
Jun
14
Wed
6:00 pm CVM Crafty Club @ Dogwood Café
CVM Crafty Club @ Dogwood Café
Jun 14 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Crafting night! Do you knit, crochet, weave, spin, or do something else that is portable enough to sit around and chat with vet med peeps? We will sit and chat, chitter, kibbitz, or bemoan, and[...]
Jun
15
Thu
9:30 am Paid-Time-Off (PTO) Plan Q&A Ses... @ W233 Vet Med Bldg
Paid-Time-Off (PTO) Plan Q&A Ses... @ W233 Vet Med Bldg
Jun 15 @ 9:30 am – 11:00 am
Human Resources representatives to answer questions and help us understand the process.
Jun
21
Wed
12:00 pm Teams Training @ W235 Veterinary Medicine Building
Teams Training @ W235 Veterinary Medicine Building
Jun 21 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Bring your lunch and join us to dive deeper into TEAMS and learn about file management, security, and the difference between OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams. *Light refreshments will be provided
6:00 pm CVM Crafty Club @ Dogwood Café
CVM Crafty Club @ Dogwood Café
Jun 21 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Crafting night! Do you knit, crochet, weave, spin, or do something else that is portable enough to sit around and chat with vet med peeps? We will sit and chat, chitter, kibbitz, or bemoan, and[...]
Jun
23
Fri
12:00 pm Seminar – Shakera Fudge, DVM @ Discovery Ridge Multipurpose Room (S101)
Seminar – Shakera Fudge, DVM @ Discovery Ridge Multipurpose Room (S101)
Jun 23 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Seminar - Shakera Fudge, DVM @ Discovery Ridge Multipurpose Room (S101)
Jun
28
Wed
6:00 pm CVM Crafty Club @ Dogwood Café
CVM Crafty Club @ Dogwood Café
Jun 28 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Crafting night! Do you knit, crochet, weave, spin, or do something else that is portable enough to sit around and chat with vet med peeps? We will sit and chat, chitter, kibbitz, or bemoan, and[...]
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