It is known that influenza has the potential for destruction, causing the deaths of 600,000 Americans in 1918 and devastating Virginia’s poultry industry in 2002.
Now university research is leading the fight against a future catastrophe.
The U.S. Agriculture department entrusted assistant professor Daniel Perez with a $5 million grant Monday to study avian influenza. The project will study the virus’ molecular basis, evolution and the possibility for a vaccine, said USDA Under Secretary Joseph Jen. It is the largest grant the USDA has ever given for animal biosecurity research.
Avian influenza is natural to aquatic birds, but land birds can contract it and pass it to humans, Perez said. It is a different strain of the virus than the common flu found in humans. The most common route of contamination is through human hands touching a bird or its fecal matter. The virus cannot be contracted from eating poultry if the meat is cooked properly.
Perez will oversee the grant with Ohio State University’s Richard Slemons and the help of universities in 17 states. Each university will focus on a specific aspect of avian influenza research. Perez and the four graduate students in his lab will study the inter-species transfer of the virus.
“Our major goal is to protect the poultry industry,” Perez said. “But we’re hoping prevention measures come out of it for human health as well.”
The grant was presented in a ceremony at the university’s Avrum Gudelsky Veterinary Center. University President Dan Mote and Provost Bill Destler were among the speakers Monday.
“In most projects, the interest in the subject seems to disappear, but I predict this one is going to expand,” Mote said after the ceremony. “It really reflects well on the university to have this initiative.”
In his remarks, Mote stressed the devastation that an avian influenza outbreak could bring on the large poultry industry and thus the state and national economy. He also suggested that avian influenza could be used for bioterrorism if it fell into the wrong hands. Destler echoed Mote’s sentiments on national security.
“We’re located close to the nation’s capital, so we have a personal stake in this effort,” Destler said.
Perez gave credit to his vast team of researchers when he accepted the grant but acknowledged the responsibility and hard work ahead.
“As many sports teams say, we’re very happy with the winning, but it’s a long road to get to the championship,” he said.
Since December, seven people have died in Vietnam from avian influenza, said Dick Thompson, spokesman for the World Heath Organization. The Associated Press reported two additional deaths over the weekend. There were 44 documented human avian influenza cases in Asia in the first few months of 2004, 32 of whom died.
“That’s a 73 percent fatality rate, which is extraordinarily high,” Thompson said.
Researchers should focus on strategies for vaccines and prevention methods, Thompson said, because there may be a reassortment (genetic change) of the virus and a possibility of high fatality in humans.
“There could be a pandemic and no way to stop it,” he said. “Right now there doesn’t seem to be a vaccine.”
The grant is one in a line of security projects at the university, Mote said, including a new homeland security initiative, freight transport research and the Center for Advanced Study of Language.
“All security issues are multidisciplinary, so universities are well-positioned,” Mote said. “They are the only institutions that span public policy and technology.”
