BRUNSWICK, Ga. - The Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division will begin collecting samples from migratory shorebirds this week as part of a collaborative effort to test for highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza. Federal and state biologists will be capturing and sampling birds in every state as part of the interagency strategic plan between the U.S. Department of Agriculture , the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of the Interior for the early detection of highly pathogenic H5N1 in wild birds.
Two migratory shorebird species, red knots and sanderlings, will be targeted for the first round of sampling. Two additional species, dunlin and ruddy turnstones, will be tested during the winter when they are more commonly present on the Georgia coast.
“These four species in Georgia have been prioritized because their travels take them to nesting grounds in the upper Arctic regions above the Hudson Bay in Canada,” said Brad Winn, program manager for the WRD Coastal Nongame Program. “There is a potential that they could cross paths with migrant species from Alaska or Iceland, so it is important that we monitor for the presence of highly pathogenic avian flu.”
The monitoring is strictly precautionary - the highly pathogenic avian influenza strain of H5N1 present in Asia, Africa and Europe has never been found in the United States. This virus has caused some cases of human illness and death in other countries where people have handled or been in close contact with infected birds.
WRD biologists will partner with employees from the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study. They will capture birds using a method called cannon netting, launching a net over a roosting flock. Biologists will take a swab from the captured birds and release them unharmed. Swabs will be placed into chilled vials and sent to a USDA laboratory for testing.
In all, WRD will sample 200 individuals from each of the four shorebird species. Biologists will make the most of the opportunity for research purposes as well, banding some of the birds and taking feathers from some to study their genetics and diet.
The testing of wild birds extends to waterfowl as well. During routine banding operations to date, WRD biologists have tested 50 wood ducks, two wild mallards, and 18 mottled ducks with no positive results from these tests. These efforts are ongoing through fall and winter.
Sampling of hunter-harvested ducks will take place during waterfowl season.
Across the U.S., biologists and field specialists with USDA’s wildlife services program are teaming up with state biologists to collect approximately 50,000 to 75,000 bird samples along with 50,000 environmental samples throughout the lower 48 states and Hawaii. This effort is in addition to the sampling currently taking place in Alaska.
Like humans, birds have naturally occurring flu viruses. Historically, wild birds have been natural reservoirs for low pathogenic avian influenza viruses and often show little or no signs of disease. Various forms of low pathogenic avian influenza have existed in the United States since the early 1900s. They can cause varying degrees of illness in birds and have not posed a public health threat. If a virus mutates or mixes with another avian influenza virus it can become highly pathogenic, causing higher fatality rates in birds.
Other forms of highly pathogenic avian influenza have been detected in domestic poultry three times in this country: in 1924, 1983 and 2004.
The 2004 outbreak was confined to one flock and eradicated. There were no human illnesses reported in connection with these outbreaks.
Additional information about avian flu and security relating to domestic poultry, wild bird monitoring and research, as well as pandemic planning nationwide is available at the U.S. government’s comprehensive Web site for pandemic preparedness at www.avianflu.gov or www.usda.gov/birdflu.