Cornell Bird Experts Monitor for Signs of Avian Flu
By: Administrative Account | Source: Bloomberg
May 6, 2006 6:25AM EST

May 6 (Bloomberg) -- Bird experts from Cornell University plan to test thousands of samples from different avian species in the U.S. to monitor for bird flu virus that's killed more than 200 people, mostly in Asia. Cornell ornithologists are undertaking the research to understand and track the disease and to relay accurate information about avian influenza strains, the Ithaca, New York- based university said in an e-mailed statement yesterday. ``Nobody knows which species of birds are capable of flying thousands of miles across the ocean after contracting the disease,'' the Cornell release said. ``A government task force has its eye on Alaska, where about 30 species of migratory birds, including Arctic warblers and yellow wagtails, will breed this spring after wintering in Asia.'' Diseased birds raise the risk to humans and create opportunities for the flu virus to change into a pandemic form such as the worldwide scourge in 1918 that killed as many as 50 million people. Human infections are rising after more than 30 countries across three continents reported initial outbreaks in animals this year, moving the globe closer to what the World Health Organization describes as humanity's most serious health challenge. The H5N1 virus has killed at least 114 of 206 people infected since late 2003, the Geneva-based WHO said yesterday. Seasonal flu usually kills between 250,000 and 500,000 people worldwide, according to the agency. Most deaths from seasonal flu in developed countries occur in people over age 65. Severe Disease A pandemic flu based on H5N1 poses a greater threat because it would cause more severe disease and involve more organs than seasonal flu, which normally infects the lungs and lining of respiratory tissue. Live H5N1 virus was found in the blood of an infected 5- year-old Thai boy who was hospitalized and died in December, researchers led by Salin Chutinimitkul of the Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok said in a letter to a U.S. government journal. The finding poses challenges for treating patients infected with H5N1 because if the virus is spreading through the blood, so too must drugs that aim to combat the infection, the Globe and Mail reported yesterday, citing virologist Menno de Jong. Zanamivir, the antiviral drug sold by GlaxoSmithKline Plc as the inhaled powder Relenza, may have to be made into an injectable form to effectively treat H5N1 patients, the newspaper reported on its Web site. The report was originally published by the Canadian Press. Unpredictable Events For the lethal H5N1 strain of avian flu to establish itself on U.S. soil via wild birds, several events must come together, none of which can be predicted, the university said. ``While H5N1 infection is rare in humans, it quickly kills half of those infected,'' Cornell said. ``In poultry, the highly pathogenic virus can be extremely deadly, killing more than 90 percent of infected birds within 48 hours. But many wild birds, especially certain waterfowl, can carry the deadly virus in their intestines with few symptoms.'' Some bird experts have said wild birds from Asia, where the disease is widespread among free-flying birds and where the majority of human fatalities have occurred, will bring the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus to the U.S., possibly this year. Still, there may a low probability that the H5N1 virus will reach the U.S. through migratory birds this year, microbiologist Kennedy Shortridge, a professor emeritus at the University of Hong Kong, said last week. Alaska It is ``highly unlikely'' that a bird would fly from Asia to Alaska and then to the lower 48 states, Cornell said. ``The fear, however, is that later this summer an infected bird from Asia could mingle with birds from the lower 48 states and Central and South America that also breed in Alaska, like snow geese, common eiders and tundra swans,'' it said. ``If that were to occur, a bird could return to the lower 48 states with the deadly virus and hypothetically infect other birds.'' Bird migration follows broad pathways rather than narrow streets, and birds regularly get lost. ``Birds from Asia that breed in Alaska could be found elsewhere, such as along the U.S. Pacific coast,'' the university said. ``But even if an infected bird landed in the lower 48 states, the poultry industry is probably safe.'' 34 Countries The H5N1 virus is reported to have infected birds in 34 countries across three continents this year. In Asia, almost 200 million domestic fowl have died or been culled to contain the spread of H5N1, costing countries more than $10 billion, the World Bank said in January. The New York Stock Exchange, which oversees more than 300 securities firms with $4 trillion in assets, told its member organizations today to create plans for operating in the event that avian flu becomes easily transmissible among humans. The NYSE said in a six-page memo its rules require that brokerages maintain trading and account records in case of an outbreak. Firms must have alternative means of communication with regulators, customers and employees. ``Although there is no pandemic flu as this time, were one to occur, it may cause a significant and extended business interruption,'' wrote Allison A. Bishop, vice president for risk assessment at NYSE Regulation. ``A pandemic flu might impact a member organization's main office branch officer, back-up locations, supplier, customer, regardless of their geographic diversity.'' Smuggling ``If avian flu were to show up in U.S. poultry, migratory birds are probably the least likely source of infection,'' said Ken Rosenberg, director of conservation science at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Highly pathogenic H5N1 appears to have mostly spread in Asia through unregulated movement, trade and handling of infected poultry, the university said. ``It's a whole lot easier to see someone smuggling an infected gamecock or parrot into the U.S. through Mexico or Canada,'' said Kevin McGowan, a research associate at the lab. While the researchers are less concerned about avian flu affecting humans or domestic poultry, they point out that the virulence of the H5N1 virus creates a real danger to threatened or endangered bird species. ``Whooping cranes and such species related to poultry as prairie chickens, grouse and quail are all in trouble and could be some of the most susceptible species to the highly pathogenic avian flu,'' Cornell said.

To contact the reporters on this story: Jason Gale in Singapore at j.gale@bloomberg.net Last Updated: May 6, 2006 03:46 EDT