During the 2015 outbreak of High Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), concerns arose regarding the ability of the virus to be transmitted through the air. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that HPAI virus exhausted from an infected barns could be carried by dust particles. Once airborne, these dust particles would have the potential to transmit the virus to adjacent negative barns on the same site or new sites downwind. If true, this work would require new mitigation strategies be developed to aid in stopping virus spread.
The study showed that dust in affected poultry barns can in-fact carry the virus. This finding verifies the need to minimize dust and stop transmission as quickly as possible once a flock is inflected. The final results indicate that additional research is needed to discover a means by which virus-laden air can be treated or filtered for barn ventilation.
