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The purpose of this project is to investigate the potential role of migratory species of birds in the dispersal, initiation, and maintenance of zoonotic diseases.
<P>Specific questions include: <OL> <LI> Will a viremic bird display migratory behavior? <LI> How does a bird's behavior (e.g. eating, movement) and physiology (e.g. hormone levels, moult patterns)change when they are infectious with a particular pathogen? <LI>How do environmental and physiological stressors impact a bird's immune system? Furthermore, how does reduced immune function affect their susceptibility to infection, disease severity, and competence as a reservoir?
NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: Few studies have demonstrated the link between the movement of migratory birds and the geographic spread of diseases such as West Nile virus and avian influenza viruses. An understanding of how these and other bird-borne pathogens disperse is critical for developing and implementing prevention and control strategies.
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APPROACH: Intercontinental migratory species from the following avian orders: Anseriformes, Charadriiformes, and Passeriformes will be used to address our study objective. The study will focus on several important zoonotic pathogens, West Nile virus, eastern equine encephalitis virus, and avian influenza virus - both low and high pathogenic strains. We will conduct a variety of field and captive (BSL3) experiments to examine the migratory behavior of birds infected with the pathogens listed above. For this year, the animal work will occur at another institution in Wisconsin.