Study looks at spread of disease between wildlife and livestock on shared rangeland

The H5N1 bird flu — widespread in wild birds worldwideandthecauseof outbreaks in poultry, U.S. dairy cows and even several recent human cases among agricultural workers – is a prime example of mixed species disease.

Sapna Chitlapilly Dass, Ph.D., assistant professor in microbial ecology and microbiome interactions, Department of Animal Science, is studying the ongoing threat of emerging pathogens that can necessitate prompt deployment of medical countermeasures for life-saving interventions.

And Dass, a Texas A&M AgriLife researcher in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, wants to nip it in the bud, so to speak.