Purdue gets $2M for fogging trial

Bird flu control on farms usually works like a firebreak: keep wild birds out, lock movement down, and if a flock tests positive, kill the birds before the virus jumps to the next barn. Purdue just got $2 million from the United States Department of Agriculture to test a different idea inside the barn itself: fill the air with an antiviral fog. (rfdtv.com) That fog is not meant to treat chickens like a medicine. It is meant to hit the virus where it travels, in tiny airborne droplets and on hard surfaces such as cages, equipment, and barn walls. (rfdtv.com) The virus in this project is highly pathogenic avian influenza, which is the severe form of bird flu that can wipe out a commercial flock fast. The United States Department of Agriculture says the outbreak that began in 2022 is still active in commercial poultry, backyard flocks, and wild birds. (cdc.gov) On a poultry farm, “biosecurity” usually means barriers and routines. The poultry industry’s own biosecurity program tells farms to control visitors, clean vehicles, change boots and clothes, and keep a written plan for stopping disease at the door. (poultrybiosecurity.org) This Purdue project is trying to add a new layer after the door. If boots and truck washes are the moat around the castle, the fogging system is more like a sprinkler inside the hallways, aimed at knocking down virus particles before they spread through a building. (thepoultrysite.com) The active ingredient comes from catmint oil, a plant oil better known for its relation to catnip than for poultry medicine. Entomol, one of the project partners, says its hydrogenated catmint oil can disrupt influenza viruses in the air and on surfaces at very low concentrations. (prnewswire.com) Purdue is leading the trial, and the named partners are Entomol and 1,4Group. The lead investigator is Dr. Ekramy Sayedahmed, an assistant professor of poultry medicine at Purdue University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. (thepoultrysite.com) The money is coming from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, which is the branch of the United States Department of Agriculture that handles animal disease control. That matters because the agency is not funding a lab curiosity here; it is funding a test of whether this can work as a practical farm biosecurity tool. (marketwatch.com) The pressure to find tools like this has been building. In late 2024, the United States Department of Agriculture changed its indemnity rules so infected commercial poultry sites must pass a biosecurity audit before restocking if they want to remain eligible for payment on the new birds. (federalregister.gov) The project is also about people, not just birds. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says workers can be exposed to avian influenza from infected animals and from contaminated environments, which is exactly why reducing virus in barn air and on barn surfaces would matter if the fog works. (cdc.gov) If the trial shows the fog can cut viral spread without disrupting normal poultry operations, farms could end up with something between “do nothing” and “depopulate the flock.” That would be a rare new option in an outbreak playbook that has mostly relied on quarantine, cleanup, and culling. (rfdtv.com)