WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University researchers have developed a rapid detection test that could help U.S. poultry producers combat highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) faster.

According to Mohamed Kamel, a Purdue postdoctoral research associate, this test is suitable for use in field settings and addresses the urgent need for an efficient and cost-effective surveillance tool to combat the global threat posed by avian influenza viruses.

In 2022, avian influenza outbreaks affected 67 countries and resulted in the loss of 131 million domestic poultry. U.S. losses totaled 40 million birds, and $2.5 to $3 billion, he said.

“Such large-scale losses in poultry directly reduce the supply of eggs, which can drive up prices due to decreased availability,” said Kamel, who is also a faculty member at Cairo University in Egypt.

Kamel and four co-authors published the details of their new assay (a collection of probes, often arranged on a microarray or a similar platform, used to detect and identify different subtypes of the avian influenza virus) in the journal, Scientific Reports.

Mohit Verma, Purdue associate professor of agricultural and biological engineering and lead author, said a key advantage of the test is its potential use across a variety of species: “It works by using an oral or nasal swab from an animal or human, and then transferring the sample to the paper-based devices.”

He told Farm World, “The rapid detection test builds on technology that my lab at Purdue University has been developing since 2018. It has previously been applied to challenges such as bovine respiratory disease, COVID-19, and food safety risk assessment. When we heard about the HPAI outbreak in 2022, we used the existing technology and started developing a new assay to detect HPAI. It took several months to get that assay ready, and then several more months to get it published.”

Kamel said the test should work across different livestock (i.e, poultry, dairy) and wildlife (i.e., birds, rodents), as well as humans: “The role of avian flu, particularly highly pathogenic avian influenza, in contributing to the high cost of eggs now and in the future, can be understood through its impact on the poultry industry.”

He said key features of the paper-based assay, which uses LAMP (loop-mediated isothermal amplification, which is a single-tube technique for the amplification of DNA for diagnostic purposes and a low-cost alternative to detect certain diseases) are its simplicity and accessibility: “Unlike conventional laboratory tests, it requires minimal training and only a water bath for incubation, enabling it to deliver results visible to the naked eye.”

He said the LAMP assay specifically targets the H5 hemagglutinin gene of the avian influenza virus. This assay offers important advantages over traditional diagnostic methods. He added that the test detects the ribonucleic acid (or RNA, which is a molecule that is present in the majority of living organisms and viruses) from H5N1 strain of the avian influenza virus with 100 percent analytical sensitivity and specificity in test samples.

He said the potential applications of the new technology extend beyond its current capabilities. He added that such enhancements could offer a practical solution to improve future global surveillance and control of avian influenza outbreaks.

The technology behind the assay is owned by the Purdue Research Foundation, and is exclusively licensed to Krishi, Inc., a startup company where Verma serves as chief technology officer: “In order to make (the test) available as a commercial product for farmers and veterinarians, it requires additional resources to get it through regulatory approval.

“If appropriate resources and accelerated regulatory approval were available, the technology would be commercialized through my startup company, Krishi, Inc., to conduct the additional validation studies, and obtain regulatory approval. This work could potentially be completed in a few months but requires additional support (from funding and regulatory agencies).”