Project: Baltic & Black Sea avian disease network
To tackle disease question in wild animal population a transdisciplinary and cross border perspective is needed. In this project we are building a network of scientists and institutions around the Black Sea to study avian diseases.
Facts about the project
Project manager
Jonas Waldenström
Participating organisations
Linnaeus University, Ottenby Bird Observatory, BirdLife Sweden, Moldova State University (Moldova), Ilia State University (Georgia), National Scientific Center Institute of Experimental and Clinical Veterinary Medicine (Ukraine)
Financier
Swedish Institute
Timetable
1 Oct 2024 -
Subject
Ecology, microbiology, (Department of Biology and Environmental Science, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences)
Research group
Zoonotic Ecology and Epidemiology
More about the project
In this project the overarching question is how we as society can meet cross-border challenges imposed by animal diseases. We focus on avian diseases, bringing together ornithologists, veterinarians, and disease ecologists to a capacity building iniative involving both institutions and NGOs. In short, we want to build on knowledge gained from the Baltic Sea region in the One Health paradigm, and apply it to a budding network of Black Sea organizations in Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova. A key illustration of the problems faced is avian influenza, a devastating disease for poultry with direct consequences for the livelihood of people. It not only infects domestic birds, it also spread in wild bird populations, with high mortality in susceptible species, especially in colony breeding birds in Europe, such as gulls and terns. Spillover infections to mammals occur, and it has zoonotic potential.
Other examples include West Nile and Usutu viruses, spread via mosquitos, that affects birds, horses and humans, and bacteria such as Salmonella. Also tick-borne infections are on the rise, where changing climate allows establishment in new areas, likely affected by bird migration. Meeting those challenges include better pathogen surveillance and joining hands between disciplines. The Black Sea and the Baltic Sea regions share many challenges related to avian diseases, where a lot can be learned by collaborative initiatives. Research on bird migration patterns, as well as phylogenetic relationships of avian influenza, already demonstrate a connection between these two regions. Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova aspire to future EU memberships, and the alignment of disease surveillance systems will be beneficial for everyone. The main goal of the project is mutually beneficial cooperation, facilitating exchange of experience, establishing communication, promoting of connection, building capacity, and creating reliable observation networks for the future.
The project is part of the research in the research group Zoonotic Ecology and Epidemiology and in Linnaeus University Centre for Ecology and Evolution in Microbial model Systems (EEMiS).