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About
Strain H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza is an Influenza A virus that was first detected in Asia in 2020 and subsequently spread to North America (2021), South America (2022), and in October of 2023, H5N1 HPAI was detected in the sub-Antarctic. The virus is spread globally via migratory seabirds and has had impacts across US cattle and poultry farms, sea lion populations in South America, and other outbreaks globally. There have been confirmed human cases, demonstrating the virus's strength in mammalian transmission. H5N1 HPAI's strengths are its ability to rapidly evolve via genetic reassortment with existing Low Pathogenicity Avian Influenza, and its frequent spillover into mammalian species.
Zooming In
The Falkland Islands, located between South America and the Antarctic Peninsula, are a richly biodiverse system of islands, widely regarded as one of the most productive marine ecosystems in the world. The Falkland Islands (FI) contain five breeding species of penguin, approximately 75% of the Black-Browed Albatross population, and 50% of the South American fur seal population. Bottom Line: The Falkland Islands and the rest of the sub-Antarctic are hotspots for HPAI's most impacted hosts: pinnipeds (seals and sea lions) and seabirds. It is important to target research towards the sub - Antarctic because of the urgent wildlife implications of this rapidly developing virus.
Why
Within wildlife conservation, there are available intervention methods such as vaccination. This method has been used/is in trial for several species as an intervention for bird flu, such as the California condor and Hawaiian monk seals. However, vaccination plans require a lot of information about the ecosystem and how the targeted disease is moving throughout the system in order to create an implementation plan that is efficient, least impactful upon wildlife, and cost-effective. Research that desires to understand host and disease dynamics will contribute to and accelerate vaccination plan development and implementation.
My Work
My research will use data from blood samples taken from Gentoo Penguins Pygoscelis papua within the Falkland Islands, 2023-2025, in order to map H5N1 HPAI antibody prevalence across years of incursion within the islands across colonies across the archipelago.
I will be working with Dr. Amandine Gamble at Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine. Currently, Dr. Gamble is involved in the research efforts of understanding HPAI in the sub-Antarctic, specifically in the Falkland Islands. She has held field trips to sample species within the Falklands for each year of the HPAI outbreak on the Falklands (2023, 2024, 2025). Dr. Gamble has a background in disease ecology, specifically within sea birds and bats.
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