Watching the water for bird flu

Southwestern Ontario is a hub of movement. It is Canada’s busiest border crossing for people and for migratory birds, with millions of people, goods, and birds passing through every year.

So, it makes sense that the research groups led by three scientists at the University of Windsor are also bringing a multidisciplinary approach to monitoring avian influenza, also known as bird flu. Dan Mennill is the ornithologist of the group; Mike McKay, the expert on Great Lakes microbiology; and Kenneth Ng studies how the virus might evolve through changes in genome sequences.

“It’s what we call a One Health approach,” explains Dr. Ng, the project lead. “Infections in the birds can lead to occasional infections in mammals, including humans. Scientists have been on the lookout for changes in avian influenza that could lead to a pandemic.”

The team is monitoring lake and river water along with wastewater for changes in the genomic sequences of avian influenza viruses, whether in the wild bird population or in farm animals. The work begins with sampling waterways in Windsor-Essex and along the north shore of Lake Erie where waterbirds congregate—a “pinch point that sees most of Canada’s migratory birds passing through,” says Dr. Mennill. Dr. McKay’s team then screens the samples for avian influenza alongside wastewater samples from the region.

Positive samples are taken to Dr. Ng’s lab, where they are developing methods to detect changes in the genomic sequences collected from environmental samples.

“This is a really exciting confluence of interests from an ornithologist, an environmental scientist, and a biochemist,” says Dr. Mennill.

“None of us individually could do the whole thing, but together everyone learns from each other and builds upon each other’s work,” adds Dr. Ng.

It’s exciting work, and it’s urgent work. Spillover infections from wild birds into commercial poultry, dairy cattle, and humans provide the virus with opportunities to gain a foothold in different species. There is great concern that the virus will eventually acquire mutations allowing for efficient transmission among humans.

Michigan, just across the border from Windsor, had a major avian influenza outbreak in dairy herds and some of the first human cases, with virus detected in wastewater at various locations.

The new surveillance methods developed by the team are beginning to yield results. Genome sequences of avian influenza viruses were obtained from pond and lake water samples collected in the Windsor-Essex border region, validating the novel method to sequence avian influenza virus from environmental samples.

“We’re first in line to see the spread of viruses entering Canada during the spring bird migration,” says Dr. McKay from his office in Windsor. Dr. Mennill adds that their research “makes us more aware of the risks in our environment.” Dr. Ng explains that “our main goal is to share new methods and information about emerging viruses with other groups in Canada and globally to prepare better for future pandemics.” With this multidisciplinary team working hard to monitor avian influenza, we won’t be caught off guard.

At a glance

Issue

Avian influenza has been detected in poultry, dairy cattle, and a few human cases, in addition to wild birds. As such, monitoring for changes in pathogens like avian influenza is essential to warn health agencies about emerging threats before they create major public health problems.

Research

A multidisciplinary team of ornithologists, environmental scientists, and molecular virology researchers are monitoring wild bird populations and wastewater in the Windsor-Essex region — the country’s busiest border crossing—for changes in avian influenza.