Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 3, 2025
12:09
Avian Influenza Surveillance with FTA Cards: Field Methods, Biosafety, and Transportation Issues Solved
Published on: August 2, 2011
19.2K
Development of a Large-Volume Concentration Method to Recover Infectious Avian Influenza Virus from the Aquatic
Laura E Hubbard1, Erin A Stelzer2, Rebecca L Poulson3
1U.S. Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Water Science Center, 1 Gifford Pinchot Drive, Madison, WI 53726, USA.
Viruses
|January 8, 2025
Summary
A new method effectively detects infectious avian influenza virus (AIV) in water, crucial for understanding its environmental spread. This research addresses the poorly understood transmission and persistence of AIV in aquatic environments.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Virology
- Ecology
Background:
- Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) outbreaks since late 2021 have caused significant mortalities in North America.
- Wetlands are suspected environmental reservoirs for HPAIV, but viral transmission and persistence in aquatic environments remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a large-volume concentration method for detecting infectious avian influenza virus in waterbodies.
- To investigate environmental contamination pathways of avian influenza virus.
Main Methods:
- Exploration of various filtering, elution, and concentration techniques.
- Testing of filtration speeds using artificially amended water matrices.
- Optimization of a protocol involving dead-end ultrafiltration, salt solution elution, and centrifugation concentration.
Main Results:
- The optimized method successfully recovered infectious virus at 1 × 10-1 50% egg infectious dose per milliliter (EID50/mL).
- Viral RNA detection was inconsistent, observed down to 1 × 100 EID50/mL.
Conclusions:
- The developed method enhances the understanding of avian influenza virus presence in the environment.
- This technique may be adaptable for detecting other enveloped viruses in environmental samples.
