West Nile Virus in hawk feather follicles but not in blood puzzles scientists

[Guest guest]

 

KD Weber <wvadreamin

 

Wednesday, 31 December 2003 7:25

COMMENT TO: WNV in hawk feather follicles but not in blood puzzles

scientists

 

 

This sounds like air borne aerosal transmission to me. Twenty five years as

an industrial hygienist. Especially if a hawk flys higher than other birds.

 

Dr. Hildegarde Staninger

Industrial Toxicologist/IH & Doctor of Integrative Medicine

 

Research Dept.

Capital University of Integrative Medicine

Washington, D.C.

 

 

-

KD Weber

Sunday, December 28, 2003 11:44 AM

WNV in hawk feather follicles but not in blood puzzles scientists

 

 

ED NOTE: Hello? Hello? Anybody out there? Anybody? Could this be the

first proof of transmission via airborne aerosol?

 

http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?display=rednews/2003/12/27/build/wy

oming/50-wstnile-hawk.inc

West Nile virus in hawk puzzles

Associated Press

 

LARAMIE, Wyo. - 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.

 

2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may

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