ST. PAUL, MINN. — Minnesota Governor Tim Walz approved $1.267 million in funding from the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR) to support research on highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).

With the funding, researchers at the University of Minnesota’s (U of M) College of Veterinary Medicine will collaborate with state, federal and local partners to ramp up testing of HPAI in wildlife and better understand the threat of the disease beyond the state’s wild and domestic bird populations.

Project lead Arno Wuenschmann, professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine, calls HPAI a “ticking time bomb” for animal and human health, even though historically the virus has mainly posed a threat to bird populations.

While previous HPAI outbreaks ended within several months of beginning, the current HPAI wave has been ongoing for nearly three years and has spread beyond birds to mammals, including dairy cows, red foxes, black bears, domestic cats, humans and more.

The research conducted at the U of M attempts to address any needs for preserving natural resources and human health in preparation for a potential resurgence of HPAI this spring.

“The College of Veterinary Medicine is uniquely equipped to advance Minnesota’s health and well-being through cutting-edge research, workforce development, and exceptional diagnostic and clinical services,” said Laura Molgaard, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine. “Our interdisciplinary approach is a key asset in addressing the connections between human and animal health and finding solutions to this critical issue for Minnesota.”

The research team will:

• Establish a wildlife health network of rehabilitators and tribal biologists that will be trained to safely collect and submit samples to the University of Minnesota’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.
• Collect and test 9,000 samples from free-ranging birds and mammals across the state for HPAI virus. 
• Run a newly established assay, developed in the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Schroeder Lab, that quickly confirms the presence of live HPAI virus in samples. Results will be reported to submitters in real time.