The highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza, better known as bird flu, has resulted in the deaths of millions of chickens – sending egg prices soaring – and even infected some other farm animals. In an effort to keep the virus in check, researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have developed a biosensor to monitor infections in real-time.
This invention, detailed in a special issue of ACS Sensors on "breath sensing," offers a crucial tool for virus tracking by detecting aerosol particles of H5N1, researchers say.
The research, led by Rajan Chakrabarty, a professor at WashU’s McKelvey School of Engineering, utilizes electrochemical capacitive biosensors to enhance the speed and sensitivity of virus and bacteria detection. This innovation is timely, as the avian virus has recently evolved to be transmissible via airborne particles to mammals, including humans, with deadly consequences.
Faster results
Chakrabarty describes the biosensor as the first of its kind, able to detect airborne virus particles rapidly. Traditional detection methods can take over 10 hours, while the new biosensor delivers results within five minutes, preserving samples for further analysis and providing pathogen concentration levels on farms, enabling immediate action.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has counted at least 35 new dairy cattle cases of H5N1 in four states, predominantly in California, over the past month. The virus's strains are notably different this time, according to Chakrabarty.
Farmers traditionally rely on state agriculture department labs for testing suspected cases, a process often delayed by case backlogs. Mitigation strategies include biosecurity measures, quarantining, and protective controls, such as mass culling.
New vaccine
Recently, the USDA issued a conditional license for an avian flu vaccine, offering potential relief to poultry farmers.
While other animals have contracted the virus, it has had the largest impact on America’s chick flocks. Millions of birds have been culled to limit the spread of the virus, with the heaviest losses among egg-laying hens.
Chakrabarty saidi his biosensor, designed to be portable and affordable for mass production, is poised to transform outbreak response. The integrated pathogen sampling-sensing unit, about the size of a desktop printer, can be placed at farm exhaust vents.