Participant Update
June 10, 2007
Dear Participants in the UCLA/NIH Avian Flu Project,
I would like to provide you with an update regarding UCLA’s progress towards the genetic screening of North American migratory birds for the presence of avian influenza (AIV). First and foremost, I would like to thank all of the Institute for Bird Populations operators (MAPS, MAWS, and MoSI), the U.S. Forest Service Redwood Sciences Laboratory's LaMMNA organizations, and independent bird banders for hours of hard work collecting cloacal swab samples. To date, we have received samples from approximately 12,000 birds, and many thousands are still on the way. These samples came from 282 species that were captured in 38 U.S. states.
We have screened 452 cloacal swabs from birds representing 81 bird species sampled from nine states. Seventeen of these samples (approximately 4%) tested positive for the presence of the AIV Matrix gene (AIV-M) (see table below for details on the positive samples, and the attached sheet for more details about all 452 samples). The subtypes of these positive samples have not been determined. However, these samples were tested for the H5 subtype, and all samples tested negative.
UCLA is at the cutting edge of genetic testing for AIV, and we are still working out the kinks in the screening process. We apologize for the time lag in getting out results, and we appreciate your patience and continued efforts in the field.
Sincerely,
Emily Curd
Research Associate, Center for Tropical Research
University of California, Los Angeles
621 Charles E. Young Drive South
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606
Lab: (310) 825-0253
Cell: (413) 204-9829
Fax: (310) 825-5446
Email: eecurd@ucla.edu
Summary of cloacal swab samples that tested positive for the presence of the AIV matrix gene (AIV-M)
Species |
State |
Time of Year |
BHGR |
NM |
Summer 06 |
CARW |
OK |
Summer 06 |
CARW |
AL |
Summer 06 |
CARW |
AL |
Summer 06 |
EABL |
OK |
Summer 06 |
HETH |
NC |
Winter 06-07 |
KEWA |
AL |
Summer 06 |
LAZB |
NM |
Summer 06 |
NOCA |
OK |
Summer 06 |
RCKI |
NC |
Winter 06-07 |
RCKI |
NC |
Winter 06-07 |
SOSP |
CA |
Spring 06 |
SWTH |
AL |
Summer 06 |
WIWA |
CA |
Spring 06 |
WIWA |
MI |
Fall 06 |
WOTH |
MI |
Fall 06 |
WTSP |
NC |
Winter 06-07 |
