A poultry expert at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine has teamed up with a geographic information systems (GIS) expert at UC Agriculture and Natural Resources to create a map showing the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) since 2021.

The map, created by Dr. Maurice Pitesky (SVM) and Shane Feirer (ANR), shows the specific types and numbers of HPAI infections throughout North America from November 2021 to March 2024. Its comprehensive view of the outbreak can be used by farmers, state departments of agriculture, the USDA, and academics to better understand how HPAI spreads between wild waterfowl (the primary reservoir) and domestic poultry. For example, one can observe how the current surveillance system of HPAI detections in wild waterfowl worked in the Atlantic Flyway (i.e. HPAI was detected in wild waterfowl before it was detected in domestic poultry) but did not work in the Mississippi Flyway (i.e. HPAI was detected in domestic poultry before it was detected in wild waterfowl).  

Experts at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine have been researching HPAI for many years and have been closely following the latest outbreak.

Pitesky, an associate professor in cooperative extension, focuses his research on HPAI disease modeling. He examines how the disease moves from wild waterfowl, such as ducks and geese, to domestic poultry. He is also focused on the economic, environmental, and animal welfare impact of HPAI.

Feirer, a GIS manager, focuses his activities and research on the use of spatial technologies to extend UC research to the universities’ constituents (the public). Some areas of GIS expertise include wild birds, water, conservation, wildlife, weather, and natural resources.

An outbreak of HPAI has been spreading throughout the United States and beyond, affecting poultry production and other livestock industries. This highly transmissible strain of bird flu has resulted in the deaths of millions of chickens and turkeys and has recently been detected in cattle in the central U.S. and marine mammals in South America. In a few rare instances, the flu strain has also been transferred to cats and humans.

The team is working on an additional map showing HPAI outbreaks in South America in recent months. To incorporate the most updated information, they will work with Dr. Marcela Uhart, director of the Latin America Program at the school’s Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center. Dr. Uhart, a leading expert on HPAI outbreaks in South America, leads the program from Argentina. Her research focuses on free-ranging wildlife health and conservation, especially in marine wildlife (particularly mammals and birds).

#   #   #