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She studies water, sediment, feces for signs of avian flu
Friday, November 24, 2006ERIN ALBERTY
THE SAGINAW NEWS
MOUNT PLEASANT -- A Central Michigan University researcher is on the hunt for signs of avian flu in Michigan in the hopes that broader knowledge of all forms of the virus could help to manage a possible pandemic.
Microbiology Professor Elizabeth Alm is analyzing samples of water, sediment and bird feces from around the state -- including the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge in Saginaw County -- to see what, if any, strains of the sometimes-deadly virus migratory birds have brought with them.
"We want to be focusing on early detection," Alm said. "You want to be set up to ID the highly pathogenic influenza if it does come."
Her work expands on migratory bird surveys already under way by studying the birds' environment.
While state agencies are trapping and testing individual birds for avian, or bird, flu, Alm's study covers a much bigger population of birds by looking not at individual birds, but at what large migratory groups leave behind.
"The virus is naturally shed in feces," she said. "We're taking a very broad perspective on the question of avian influenza: What types are present in the environment of the birds in Michigan?"
By looking at all types of bird flu, Alm said she hopes her study can lend insights on how the more deadly versions behave.
Scientists have identified about 140 versions of avian flu, many of which produce no symptoms in birds, Alm said.
The deadly strain -- the H5N1 bird flu, first documented in Asia in 1997 -- has yet to surface in North America. Researchers say it could enter the country in domesticated poultry or North American migratory birds, such as wild ducks and geese, which co-mingle with Asian birds in the far north regions.
The disease has killed at least 153 people in Asia and the Middle East, federal statistics indicate. It spreads to humans through contact with diseased domestic or wild birds.
Many studies focus on that strain, Alm said. By tracking the more benign versions year to year, she hopes to shed light on how they mutate.
That knowledge could help in the understanding of the most significant threat of bird flu: the possible mutation of H5N1 into a variety that spreads easily through human-to-human contact.
"Influenza viruses mutate very easily because their genetic makeup is prone to errors," she said. "If there are novel combinations of (the proteins that make up the virus' other strains), we may be able to see that because of the way we're designing our surveillance. We want to characterize whatever we can find out there."
Alm and two graduate students last summer began to collect specimens from several locations around the state known as stopover sites for migratory birds, including the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge, Tawas Point State Park, Bay City Recreational Area and Metro Beach at Detroit.
This winter, Alm will perform RNA analysis of the samples checking for all known forms of the virus.
By including sediment samples, Alm also hopes to learn more about how long the virus can survive in different environments. Some research shows avian flu viruses can exist in water for about 200 days, but Alm's earlier studies of bacteria on beaches suggests that sand may be even more hospitable.
Knowing the virus' endurance on sand could help scientists understand how it spreads from bird to bird and how it spreads from birds to humans -- especially in light of new evidence that earlier human victims may have ingested the virus, Alm said.
Alm plans to return to the study sites and take new samples when the birds complete their spring migration.
"This is something we plan to have ongoing for years," she said. "We want to start a solid surveillance program." v
Erin Alberty is a staff writer for The Saginaw News. You may reach her at 776-9673
http://www.mlive.com/news/sanews/index.ssf?/base/news-20/1164381748295690.xml&coll=9
Friday, November 24, 2006ERIN ALBERTY
THE SAGINAW NEWS
MOUNT PLEASANT -- A Central Michigan University researcher is on the hunt for signs of avian flu in Michigan in the hopes that broader knowledge of all forms of the virus could help to manage a possible pandemic.
Microbiology Professor Elizabeth Alm is analyzing samples of water, sediment and bird feces from around the state -- including the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge in Saginaw County -- to see what, if any, strains of the sometimes-deadly virus migratory birds have brought with them.
"We want to be focusing on early detection," Alm said. "You want to be set up to ID the highly pathogenic influenza if it does come."
Her work expands on migratory bird surveys already under way by studying the birds' environment.
While state agencies are trapping and testing individual birds for avian, or bird, flu, Alm's study covers a much bigger population of birds by looking not at individual birds, but at what large migratory groups leave behind.
"The virus is naturally shed in feces," she said. "We're taking a very broad perspective on the question of avian influenza: What types are present in the environment of the birds in Michigan?"
By looking at all types of bird flu, Alm said she hopes her study can lend insights on how the more deadly versions behave.
Scientists have identified about 140 versions of avian flu, many of which produce no symptoms in birds, Alm said.
The deadly strain -- the H5N1 bird flu, first documented in Asia in 1997 -- has yet to surface in North America. Researchers say it could enter the country in domesticated poultry or North American migratory birds, such as wild ducks and geese, which co-mingle with Asian birds in the far north regions.
The disease has killed at least 153 people in Asia and the Middle East, federal statistics indicate. It spreads to humans through contact with diseased domestic or wild birds.
Many studies focus on that strain, Alm said. By tracking the more benign versions year to year, she hopes to shed light on how they mutate.
That knowledge could help in the understanding of the most significant threat of bird flu: the possible mutation of H5N1 into a variety that spreads easily through human-to-human contact.
"Influenza viruses mutate very easily because their genetic makeup is prone to errors," she said. "If there are novel combinations of (the proteins that make up the virus' other strains), we may be able to see that because of the way we're designing our surveillance. We want to characterize whatever we can find out there."
Alm and two graduate students last summer began to collect specimens from several locations around the state known as stopover sites for migratory birds, including the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge, Tawas Point State Park, Bay City Recreational Area and Metro Beach at Detroit.
This winter, Alm will perform RNA analysis of the samples checking for all known forms of the virus.
By including sediment samples, Alm also hopes to learn more about how long the virus can survive in different environments. Some research shows avian flu viruses can exist in water for about 200 days, but Alm's earlier studies of bacteria on beaches suggests that sand may be even more hospitable.
Knowing the virus' endurance on sand could help scientists understand how it spreads from bird to bird and how it spreads from birds to humans -- especially in light of new evidence that earlier human victims may have ingested the virus, Alm said.
Alm plans to return to the study sites and take new samples when the birds complete their spring migration.
"This is something we plan to have ongoing for years," she said. "We want to start a solid surveillance program." v
Erin Alberty is a staff writer for The Saginaw News. You may reach her at 776-9673
http://www.mlive.com/news/sanews/index.ssf?/base/news-20/1164381748295690.xml&coll=9