FreeLists / bristol-birds / [Bristol-Birds] Am Robin now being used for West Nile Virus surveillance

[david kirschke <dkirschke@xxxxxxxxx>]

  FYI.  Recently deceased American Robins are now being accepted by the state 
health department, along with Am Crows and Blue Jays, for testing for West Nile 
Virus as an indicator of virus transmission between birds and mosquitos (and 
resulting increased risk of human exposure).  (See below.)  To submit or report 
a dead bird, contact your local health department.
   
  David Kirschke, MD
  Northeast Tennessee Regional Health Office
  Johnson City, TN
   
   
  The American Robin is added this year to our statewide West Nile virus 
surveillance efforts. In the previous few years we have only accepted crows and 
blue jays. There are various reasons for adding robins to our list in Tennessee:
  1. The majority of birds submitted for testing have been blue jays. This 
means that we are relying almost exclusively on one species of bird for 
surveillance in a state that has few mosquito control and surveillance 
programs. Areas without such programs depend on bird surveillance therefore we 
need to have a more robust bird surveillance effort.
  2. Studies from the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven 
have shown that Culex pipiens and Culex restuans mosquitoes (primary vectors of 
West Nile virus) feed predominantly on robins than on any other bird species. 
Additionally, robins have been shown to amplify the virus very efficiently. 
  3. Illinois added robins to their list of birds for surveillance and found 
that 1/4 of them tested positive for West Nile virus, showing that they are 
indeed good indicators of transmission.
  4. Robins are easily identified by the public.
  As with all birds accepted for testing, we stress the following criteria 
regarding an appropriate specimen:
  Ensure the bird is a blue jay, American crow or American robin that is 
freshly dead. Usually sunken eyes, odor or the presence of fly larvae (maggots) 
are good indicators that the bird has been dead too long. 
  Today officially begins our 2007 surveillance season for West Nile!