New genome project to identify avian flu hot spots in Fraser Valley
By Randy Shore, Vancouver Sun April 14, 2015
Local scientists are fast-tracking a genomic surveillance system to detect new, virulent avian flu viruses in wild birds in order to predict and hopefully prevent outbreaks in domestic birds.
... Meta-genomic tools developed by microbiologist Patrick Tang and his partners at the BC Centre for Disease Control can detect genetic material from entire communities of microbes, including influenza viruses that might be lurking in wetlands frequented by migratory birds. Genomic sequencing can identify thousands of organisms in water samples simultaneously by blending up all the creatures and searching for identifiable shreds of DNA and RNA.
Tang has teamed up with Himsworth to analyze 250 water and sediment samples from 20 locations across the Fraser Valley to catalogue which avian flu viruses are normally found in the fecal matter of wild birds. This method will reveal which viruses are present in entire populations of birds. Catching and testing individual birds is too hit-and-miss, as any given bird may or may not have a flu virus that is present in other members of a flock....
