Project Leader:   
Curtis Suttle

Lead Institution:   
University of British Columbia

Research Funding Program:   
SOF 2

The research team will examine the diversity of viruses in freshwater ponds and the environment in order to determine sources of avian viruses that could impact public health and provide information that will help mitigate viral disease outbreaks caused by migratory birds.

The natural environment houses an enormous diversity of largely unknown ribonucleic acid (RNA) viruses, including viruses that are related to the causative agents of diseases such as poliomyelitus and influenza. Ponds where migratory birds congregate are potential sources for viruses that could lead to disease outbreaks; yet, the viruses in these environments remain unexplored.

Past outbreaks of avian influenza in BC have devastated the poultry and bird rearing industries. Moreover, there is the potential for avian influenza to “jump” to mammals, including humans. Coastal BC lies along the Pacific Flyway that originates in the Arctic, where it intersects with migratory flyways that encompass the World. There is particular concern that highly pathogenic strains of avian influenza from Asia may surface in North America, but little is known about the occurrence and diversity of influenza viruses in nature. Influenza is one example of many viruses that are likely present in ponds where migratory birds gather.

Researchers at UBC are at the forefront of using genomic approaches to examine the diversity of viruses in environmental samples, and have used these approaches to sequence the genomes of previously unknown and uncultured viruses. They propose to apply these techniques to examine the composition of RNA viruses in ponds where there are high densities of migratory birds.

The research team will be the first to use environmental genomics (metagenomics) approaches to assess the composition of RNA viruses in freshwater where migratory birds gather, with the goal of identifying viruses that pose a potential risk to domestic bird populations and other animals.