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Mapping bird flu pathways to Australia
New research project tracks the spread of
avian influenza and other diseases to Australia
A new Deakin University research project
is looking into how birds might bring avian influenza and
other diseases into Australia.
Deakin University environmental science expert Dr Rohan Clarke
has been involved in a major study of migratory birds moving
from South-East Asia and Papua New Guinea to northern Australia,
with the aim of tracking how disease spreads.
Dr Clarke, a research fellow in the School of Life and Environmental
Sciences, has made several field trips to the Torres Strait
to take samples from birds and study their migration patterns.
He said this is the obvious pathway of any disease like bird
flu moving into the country as Australian islands are situated
just 3kms from the Papua New Guinea coastline.
“Clearly this border is the major bio-security threat
for Australia and if anything is likely to come into country,
this is the path the disease is likely to come through,’’
he said.
Dr Clarke’s research project is looking at rates and
spread of avian malaria amongst birds in the region, with
the aim of using this information to predict the way other
diseases might travel throughout birds in Australia.
“Avian malaria is a common bird affliction. Although
it is similar to human malaria it doesn’t affect people,’’
he said.
During several trips to the Torres Strait
the research team has gathered 900 samples from different
bird species, which will now be subject to molecular screening.
However Dr Clarke said that blood-smears done on location
show a high prevalence of malaria infection – about
30 per cent – making it an ideal study in disease transmission.
Dr Clarke said the Torres Strait is a major migration pathway
for bush birds in Australia – those smaller birds that
live in foliage.
“We are talking hundreds and thousands of birds moving
back and forward across the strait each year.
“We can use this information to see how bird diseases
might move around different areas and it has implications
for our understanding of how bird flu might spread.
“If we are to get any major disease
incursions into Australia, it is likely to come through this
pathway,’’ Dr Clarke said.
For other news from the School of Life and
Environmental Sciences:
http://www.deakin.edu.au/scitech/les/about/news/
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