Understanding the Virulence and Transmission of Avian Mycobacteriosis

Avian mycobacteriosis is a significant disease affecting many endangered bird species. The disease is caused by a group of related bacteria called Mycobacteria.

Tuberculosis in humans is also caused by mycobacteria, along with Johne’s disease in hoofed animals (including cattle, sheep, deer and antelope species).

Thankfully, this disease is fairly rare in our collection, but our ability to control the spread of this disease is still limited because we do not understand how the mycobacteria are transmitted, or why some birds become ill, and others not.

This project aims to answer some of these questions by trying to identify genetic clues that indicate which strains will be likely to cause disease, and which not; and by characterizing the strains of mycobacteria present in different environmental substrates by genetic strain typing. Together these data will help us to understand much more about how mycobacteria are transmitted, and therefore what we can do to minimize the spread of disease.