June 11, 2009
Study shows bird flu virus can persist in water for 150 days
A research carried out by the University of Georgia (UGA) has revealed that some bird flu viruses can persist in water for up to 150 days.
Research Pejman Rohani explained that current models of bird flu viruses only take into account the direct transmission of the virus that occurs when infected waterfowl and shorebirds shed the virus in their faeces and those nearby drink contaminated water.
The viruses the researchers studied are low-pathogenicity viruses which are said to have the potential to swap genes and give rise to high pathogenicity viruses.
In addition to the environmental persistence of the virus, the team's model takes into account variables such as lake size and the rate at which infected birds recover to describe likely and worse case outbreak scenarios.
The model also reveals that environmental transmission extends the duration of an outbreak by infecting birds that have not come into contact with other birds yet have consumed contaminated water.
In a study recently, researchers determined the persistence of 12 low-path bird flu viruses under natural ranges of pH, salinity and temperature.
The researchers found that the duration of persistence varied widely among viruses, but that the viruses generally are most stable at a slightly basic pH, temperatures of less than 17 degrees Celsius and in fresh to slightly brackish water.
