Research in the Netherlands: Early detection of new diseases via birds
Corona, bird flu and Mpox are diseases that have been transmitted from animals to humans. A research team from the Netherlands wants to provide early warning of new pathogens.
Corona, AIDS and the Spanish flu have claimed millions of lives. Researchers around the world are trying to better predict such pandemics in the future.14.09.2024 | 29:47 min”We start at dawn,” explains Gerard van Zuylen as he collects the first birds caught in the nets between the trees. He is out and about in a small forest near Utrecht with his colleague Tijs van der Berg. They are part of a team of citizens who work voluntarily in the service of research. Day after day, they collect valuable data on the spread of viruses at dozens of bird stations across the Netherlands.
While van Zuylen rings the first bird and uses small swabs to take cell samples from the animal’s beak and cloaca, van der Berg notes the bird species, weight and ring number. The birds are then released back into the wild. The swabs with the samples are then sent to the laboratory of the medical faculty of the University of Rotterdam for analysis.
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Early warning system with bird stations created
An extraordinary early warning system has been created there. “Thanks to the bird stations, we know very precisely which viruses are circulating, for example from tropical Africa,” explains the institute’s director, Reina Sikkema. The birds’ flight routes can also be tracked.
The viruses use birds as hosts, as a stopover in which they can reproduce. This doesn’t necessarily harm the birds.
Reina Sikkema, virologist at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Rotterdam
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Mosquitoes carry viruses from birds to humans
If such a bird is later bitten by a mosquito that picks up the virus and transmits it itself – and eventually bites a human, infection can occur. “Without birds, we probably wouldn’t have Usutu or West Nile virus here in Europe,” the virologist states.
Together with her team, Reina Sikkema is part of a research network that brings together five Dutch universities. The project is called PACT and focuses on the question: How can we better understand infectious diseases transmitted by birds and mosquitoes and at the same time learn to understand how mosquitoes are changing due to global warming.The corona virus still exists and is causing more infections again this summer. But how dangerous are the new variants and what is the situation in the travel regions? Doctor and medical journalist Dr. Christoph Specht in conversation.10.07.2024 | 9:08 min
Salinization creates ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes
“The climate crisis is hitting the Netherlands hard,” explains Reina Sikkema: “The water level will rise. The salt water is already pushing down into the agricultural polders, some 30 kilometers from the coast.” This is how the fresh water mixes with the salt water.
The first result of the research: salinization creates ideal breeding grounds for mosquito larvae. This is because the predators of the larvae, frogs, small crustaceans or water fleas, cannot tolerate the salt. So the larvae, without enemies, develop into adult mosquitoes in large numbers.
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More contacts between birds and mosquitoes expected
As long as the little pests do not transmit dangerous viruses when they bite people, they have no impact on our health. But Reina Sikkema also sees a risk for the future: “Contacts between the birds that bring in viruses and the mosquitoes will increase.”
This also increases the risk of new diseases for us humans. With our research, we can warn about them earlier than before.
Reina Sikkema, virologist at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Rotterdam
Knowledge that can help develop vaccines in a timely manner.
Consequences of climate change
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by Andreas Ewels
ZDFheute on WhatsApp
Source: ZDF
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