Bird flu found in penguins in Antarctica
A sad but real news, scientists have recently made a concerning discovery in Antarctica: the H5N1 avian influenza strain has been detected in penguins on the Antarctica mainland for the first time. According to the research done by British research team and South Georgia's government, the current outbreak poses a significant risk to Antarctica’s unique wildlife, which could be devastated by the disease. The highly contagious H5N1 strain has previously killed millions of birds and thousands of mammals worldwide.
What is bird flu H5N1 ?
H5N1 is the type of bird flu that has caused significant global concern in recent years. It was discovered over 20 years ago and has been responsible for outbreaks in different parts of the world. Since 2020, the global spread of H5N1 has intensified, affecting regions in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, North America, South America, and even Antarctica. Millions of poultry have died worldwide due to H5N1, and wild bird communities have also suffered unprecedented deaths, including among endangered species. H5N1 has also spread to other wild animals, such as foxes, seals, porpoises, bottlenose dolphins, grizzly bears, and even farmed animals like minks and dairy cows.
How to test bird flu H5N1?
Diagnosing Bird Flu H5N1 in birds can be easy currently. General laboratory testing is essential to diagnose avian influenza A (H5N1).
During the first few days of illness, a swab is taken from the nose or throat of the affected individual. This swab is then sent to a laboratory for testing to identify the specific type of virus causing the infection. Real-time PCR, Rapid Test, ELISA and many other techniques are used in the lab. For example, the Ringbio avian influenza test kits are commercially available tests for quick testing of different avian influenzas,
- Avian Influenza Antigen AIV Ag Rapid Test Kit
- Avian Influenza Multispecies Antibody Competitive ELISA Kit
- Avian Influenza H5 Antigen AIV H5 Ag Rapid Test Kit
- Avian Influenza H7 Antigen AIV H7 Ag Rapid Test Kit
- Avian Influenza H5 Antibody ELISA Kit, AIV H5 Ab ELISA Kit
- Avian Influenza H7 Antibody ELISA Kit, AIV H7 Ab ELISA Kit
- Avian Influenza H9 Antibody ELISA Kit, AIV H9 Ab ELISA Kit
- Avian Influenza Virus H5N1 Real-time PCR Kit
- Avian Influenza Virus H7N9 Real-time PCR Kit
- Avian Influenza Virus H5 Real-time PCR Kit
- Avian Influenza Virus H7 Real-time PCR Kit
- Avian Influenza Virus H9 Real-time PCR Kit
- Avian Influenza Virus Real-time PCR Kit
- Avian Influenza Virus H5 & H7 Duplex Real-time PCR Kit
With these different tests, bird flu can be detected accordingly. For dead penguins, researchers can use the bird flu antigen rapid test to test the feces directly on site, and they can also collect feces or throat swabs and return to lab, and then use the H5N1 real-time qPCR kit. Nevertheless, these kits are develeoped for easy and fast determination of bird flu in various avians.
