Launching of The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Pilot Surveillance Program for Avian Influenza: Preliminary Results
American Association of Zoo Veterinarians Conference 2012
Jeleen Briscoe1, VMD, DABVP (Avian); Pamela Dennis2, PhD, DVM; Amy Glaser3, DVM, PhD; R. Scott Larsen4, DVM, MS, DACZM; Dominic Travis5, DVM, MS; Edward Wilkins5; Yvonne Nadler5, DVM, MPH
1Animal Care Program, United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Riverdale, MD, USA; 2Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, Cleveland, OH, USA; 3Animal Health Diagnostic Center, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA; 4Wildlife Health Center, University of California, Davis, CA, USA; 5Department of Conservation and Science, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, IL, USA
Abstract
Since 2007, the USDA/APHIS Animal Care Program and the AZA have worked through a cooperative agreement on a pilot voluntary surveillance program for avian influenza in three zoos, using three regional state laboratories in the National Animal Health Laboratory Network. Samples from avian species positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) subtypes (H5 and H7) will be forwarded to the National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL) for final processing. The purpose of this program is three-fold: test this avenue for early detection of avian influenza, particularly in rare and protected zoo populations of birds; establish a baseline prevalence rate in three large zoos; and evaluate the utility of zoos as sentinels for disease. Results from the launching of this program presented here will be posted on a password-protected on-line network and used for epidemiologic analysis, adding another facet to our understanding of potential areas of emergence for HPAI.