USPOULTRY announces the completion of a funded research project at Auburn University in Auburn, Ala., in which researchers showed how to inactivate avian influenza virus in poultry feed. USPOULTRY approved $550,000 in emergency funding in October 2015 to support further avian influenza research and communication as a result of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak last spring. These projects are to be completed on a fast track over the next several months, and this research is the first project completed with the funding.
A brief summary of the completed project is shown below. A complete report, along with information on other Association research, may be obtained by going to USPOULTRY’s website, www.uspoultry.org. The project summary is as follows.
Project #BRU004: Inactivation of Avian Influenza Virus in Chicken Feed
(Dr. Haroldo Toro, Auburn University, Auburn, Ala.)
The poultry industry is concerned about all potential means of avian influenza virus (AIV) spread during an outbreak. Although pelleting of feed effectively inactivates any potential AIV in feed, not all poultry feeds are pelleted. In a recently completed research project, Dr. Haroldo Toro at the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine found that commercially available and approved formaldehyde-based products very effectively and quickly inactivate AIV in poultry feed. This research provides practical new information about how to control AIV spread during an outbreak.
