Lindsey is working on a new monitoring method for monitoring Avian Influenza Virus (AIV) in wild birds. Although methods for studying AIV in domestic poultry have been developed, it is much more difficult to track the virus in wild birds because they migrate. Wild birds that live in or around water (aquatic wild birds) are the natural reservoirs of AIV, and if infected wild birds come into contact with domestic poultry, they can pass the disease to the domestic birds. Several programs have been set up worldwide to monitor the presence of AIVs in healthy wild birds in general, and also specifically to track the geographic spread of the Southeast Asian H5N1 subtype of AIV, which has been known to affect humans. Researchers believe that AIV can build up in tissues of other organisms, like freshwater clams, that live in water where infected aquatic wild birds are found. If this is the case, researchers may be able to monitor for AIV using clams, which are easier to sample than wild birds.
Lindsey has been working on a genetic test for the virus in clams. The first part of her work has been to determine what part of the clam would be best for testing, so she has “spiked” the clam tissues with AIV and then extracted and tested for the virus’s genetic material in the various organs and tissues. This work is important since some tissues or organs can break down the virus genetic material rather than accumulate it, and if the clam testing is going to be effective, the testing must be able to detect the virus if it is present.
Another part of Lindsey’s work has involved designing new genetic markers for detecting the virus. Most of the existing markers have been developed for the virus in domestic poultry, so may not be as effective in other bird species. Lindsay has been researching the nucleotide sequences (genetic information) of AIV in different wild bird species to design new primers and probes for more specific detection of AIV in a wide range of wild bird species.
Student Research