USPOULTRY and the USPOULTRY Foundation are accepting research pre-proposals from colleges, universities, and research facilities through Nov. 1 on highly pathogenic avian influenza.

The first 2021/2022 detection of Eurasian strain (EA) highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 in North America occurred in December 2021 in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Subsequently, HPAI EA H5 and EA H5N1 viruses have been confirmed in wild birds, backyard flocks, and commercial poultry facilities in the United States leading to the depopulation of millions of birds and a significant economic impact. Although research provided answers to many issues following the 2014-2015 HPAI outbreak, there are additional questions that need to be investigated.  

The research areas of focus should develop methods to effectively reduce viral shedding from houses affected with HPAI prior to and after depopulation; develop new methods to quickly and humanely depopulate caged layers, broilers, and turkeys following an HPAI infection; evaluate the risks of virus spread during mortality pick-up and transportation from one site to another; address the question of “What effect, if any, does plowing of land around previously HPAI infected poultry houses have on lateral transmission of virus?”; develop methods to evaluate risk of HPAI infection from various predictors, such as wild bird sampling and weather conditions; and evaluate improvements to biosecurity protocols, such as barn entry methods, to reduce the introduction of HPAI virus to a flock.

Visit the USPOULTRY website for complete instructions on how to submit a pre-proposal.

Source: USPOULTRY