Surveillance program of Minnesota Wildlife for avian influenza virus, including highly pathogenic avian influenza virus

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus is an emerging and ongoing disease threat to the health of Minnesota wildlife, poultry, livestock and humans. The proposed study aims at better understanding, whether wild animal species and if so, which wild animal species, may serve as reservoir for HPAI virus and to begin a Minnesota wildlife virus surveillance program with reference library of HPAI virus isolates that can be used in the future to characterize the virus with the goal to identify specific mutations.

Knowledge of viral diversity is necessary in guiding mitigation strategies (preventative or remediative) for wildlife and in formulating warnings for the public (agriculture community and health community). This Minnesota wildlife virus surveillance program can serve as a new resource for future virus outbreaks in Minnesota, whether of HPAI virus origin or new emerging diseases. The study is funded by the Environment and Natural Resource Trust Fund of Minnesota and results of the study are reported weekly on this webpage.