- Hello? Anybody out there? Could this be the first proof
of transmission via airborne aerosol?
- --KD Weber
-
- LARAMIE, Wyo.(AP) - Scientists
are intrigued by signs of West Nile virus in the feather follicles of a
ferruginous hawk that shows no sign of the virus in its blood.
-
- The injured hawk was found on the prairie outside town
and taken to the Laramie Raptor Refuge.
-
- Refuge Director Catherine Symchych said it remains uncertain
whether the signs of the virus in the feather follicles was due to the
presence of transmissible virus.
-
- Terry Creekmore, with the State Veterinary Lab in Laramie,
said a bird infected with the virus usually remains infected three to six
days. The bird either builds up an immunity or dies from it.
-
- He said that without knowing what tests were done on
the feather follicles, he could not speculate whether the virus was present.
-
- Symchych said the feather follicle test is fairly new.
She has been sending feathers from live birds to a researcher at the University
of California-Davis.
-
- Other researchers are also interested in the female hawk.
-
- "She is very public right now," Symchych said.
"The Wyoming Department of Agriculture wants her, the CDC in Fort
Collins wants to study her. It's all of a sudden like, whoa, here's this
cool thing."
-
- Before the potential importance of the bird in terms
of West Nile virus was discovered, it was sent to an Oregon woman who planned
to use it for educational purposes.
-
- The bird was returned after it was learned that it could
be infected with West Nile and could spread the virus.
-
- "It is not known if she can transmit WNV to anybody
right now," Symchych said. "It is presumed that she can't."
-
- Symchych said she would like to place the hawk, which
is too injured to be returned to the wild, in a local educational program.
-
- "We do not have a big need for her as we currently
have eight birds to share the program load. She will need an experienced
handler for her long-term care and we do much more training and internship
for university students who need to work with smaller species," she
said.
-
- Copyright © 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
-
- http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?display=rednews/
2003/12/27/build/wyoming/50-wstnile-hawk.inc
-
-
- Comment
- From Dr. Hildegarde Staninger
- 12-30-3
-
- This sounds like air borne aerosol transmission to me.
Twenty five years as an industrial hygienist. Especially if a hawk flies
higher than other birds.
-
- Dr. Hildegarde Staninger
- Industrial Toxicologist/IH & Doctor of Integrative
Medicine
-
- Research Dept.
- Capital University of Integrative Medicine
- Washington, D.C.
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