New research from the Monell Chemical Senses Center and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reveals how diseases can modify animal odors in subtle ways. In a recent study published in the public access journal PLOS ONE, scientists examined how infection with avian influenza (AIV) alters fecal odors in mallards.

Using both behavioral and chemical methods, the findings reveal that AIV can be detected based on odor changes in infected birds.

"The fact that a distinctive fecal odor is emitted from infected ducks suggests that avian influenza infection in mallards may be 'advertised' to other members of the population," notes Bruce Kimball, PhD, a research chemist with the USDA National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC) stationed at the Monell Center. "Whether this chemical communication benefits non-infected birds by warning them to stay away from sick ducks or if it benefits the pathogen by increasing the attractiveness of the infected individual to other birds, is unknown."

In the study, laboratory mice were trained to discriminate between feces from AIV-infected and non-infected ducks, indicating a change in odor. Chemical analysis then identified the chemical compounds associated with the odor changes as acetoin and 1-octen-3-ol.

The same compounds also have been identified as potential biomarkers for diagnosing gastrointestinal diseases in humans. Kimball and colleagues hypothesize that metabolites resulting from viral infection interact in concert with bacteria in the gastro-intestinal system of ducks to produce "odor signatures" indicating presence of the AI virus.

"Avian influenzas are typically asymptomatic in ducks and waterfowl. Infection in these species can only be diagnosed by directly detecting the virus, requiring capture of birds and collection of swab samples. Our results suggest that rapid and simple detection of influenzas in waterfowl populations may be possible through exploiting this odor change phenomenon," said Monell behavioral biologist Gary Beauchamp, PhD, also an author on the paper.

Future work will assess whether odor changes can be used for surveillance of AIV in waterfowl. In particular, researchers are interested in whether the odor change is specific to the AIV pathogen or if it is merely a general response to a variety of pathogens normally found in birds. Other studies will explore communicative functions of the AIV odor to gain greater understanding of how odors can shape social behavior in wildlife populations.

Also contributing to the research, which was funded by the National Wildlife Research Center, were Kunio Yamazaki and Maryanne Opiekun of Monell and Richard Bowen and Jack Muth from Colorado State University. Dr. Yamazaki, who actively contributed to the design and realization of this work, died in April 2103.

These laboratory studies have opponents, there is no guarantee that nature will follow the theoretical approach.

While some scholars argue that it should be kept for research purposes genetically manipulated viruses of avian influenza in several laboratories around the world are already conducting similar experiments, reported the German magazine "Focus". Several teams working in parallel with genetically manipulated virus H7N9. Ron Fucino, one of the scientists involved in the experiments confirmed that his colleagues in several places around the world already are testing resistance to drugs.

Other attempts were allegedly in the pipeline, says Fucino who specializes Flu Medical Center "Erasmus" in Rotterdam. They will study the behavior of the virus modified so as to be easily transmitted from person to person. From mid-March in China already has at least 130 people infected with the dangerous strain H7N9.

This week leading experts called in the journal "Nature" to be carried out similar experiments in which the causative agent is modified in vitro so as to be more infectious and resistant to treatment with drugs. They hope that science will overtake both real life and will be prepared to respond to any mutations in the strain of bird flu, which has threatened a number of Asian countries.

Such an approach, however, meeting and much criticism. According to the China Center for combating infectious diseases in natural mutation of a virus can take years. In the laboratory, it happened in an instant. There is no guarantee that the actual mutations will follow artificial scientific model.

According to Ron Fucino however scientific experiments are very useful and are based on actual forecasts. Attempts would make it possible to produce more effective vaccines and scientific teams would predict risks of transmission of the virus from person to person. New form of H7N9 bird flu was confirmed in humans for the first time in March 2013 Health officials believe that spillover occurred from birds to humans. Thousands of birds were killed and live poultry markets were closed. An outcome measure, the number of new infected dropped almost to zero. In April, the WHO issued a warning that in some cases the virus can be passed from person to person. Scientists from China have joined this opinion and wrote in the British Medical Journal, the risk of bird flu is by no means

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