SONGBIRDS MAY CARRY AVIAN FLU

The migratory patterns of birds can give scientists data on future
avian flu outbreaks. Analyzing more than 225 species of songbirds and
perching birds, researchers found that 22 varieties are carriers of
low-pathogenicity avian influenza, meaning they carry a strain of the
bug that isn't dangerous enough to kill the bird but could mutate into
something more lethal. The research supported by the National Science
Foundation was recently published in the journal BMC Infectious
Diseases.
Avian influenza or bird flu is most commonly associated with poultry
and water fowl like chicken and ducks, but perching and songbirds--also
called passerines--typically share the same habitats and may be more
effective transmitters of the disease.
By mapping such factors as a location's minimum temperature, date of
spring thaw, and particularly the amount of land that's been converted
into cropland, researchers hope to predict increases of avian flu
cases. "Agricultural activity reduces the amount of natural habitat
available to avian migrants," says Trevon Fuller, lead author of the
paper and a biologist at the Center for Tropical Research at UCLA. When
birds have less habitat, they crowd together more, which helps
communicable diseases spread faster.
SOURCE: National Science Foundation,
http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=117236&org=NSF&from=news