Highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI, has been detected on commercial farms in California and other parts of the U.S. The most recent outbreak of the highly transmissible strain of bird flu began in early 2022 and has resulted in the deaths of millions of chickens and turkeys. It has also been detected in cows in the U.S., marine mammals in South America, and foxes in Canada, France and other countries. The Centers for Disease Control has confirmed 57 human cases in the U.S. as of December 2024 and several cases of avian flu in cats from dairy farms. The following University of California, Davis, sources are available to share their expertise to the media on the topic.

Wild birds, waterfowl and poultry

Maurice Pitesky, associate professor in cooperative extension at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. Pitesky’s research focus is on highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI, disease modeling. He examines how the disease moves from waterfowl, such as ducks and geese, to domestic poultry. He can also speak in general terms about the economic, environmental and animal welfare impact of HPAI. Contact: mepitesky@ucdavis.edu, office: 530-752-3215, cell: 530-219-1407

Rodrigo Gallardo, professor in poultry medicine at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. He is a veterinarian board-certified by the American College of Poultry Veterinarians and holds a Ph.D. in molecular poultry virology. He provides technical advice to the poultry industry in California and across the U.S. His research focuses on poultry RNA viruses including reoviruses, coronaviruses and influenza viruses. He has been the head of the poultry medicine program at the School of Veterinary Medicine for more than 10 years. Bilingual in Spanish and English. Contact: ragallardo@ucdavis.edu, cell: 530-219-4963

Richard Blatchford, an associate specialist of Cooperative Extension at the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. He focuses on husbandry, behavior and welfare of small- to large-scale poultry production. He can answer general questions about avian influenza. Contact: rablatchford@ucdavis.edu

Huaijun Zhou, professor of animal science at the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and director of the USAID Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Genomics to Improve Poultry. Zhou’s lab has done research on genetic resistance to avian flu infection using genetic, genomic and bioinformatics approaches. Contact: hzhou@ucdavis.edu, office: 530-752-1034

Sea birds and marine mammals

Marcela Uhart, director of the Argentina-based Latin America Program with the UC Davis Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center, in the School of Veterinary Medicine. Uhart can discuss impacts of avian influenza to sea birds and marine mammals, including sea lions and elephant seals. In December 2023, she co-authored a report of extreme mortality in southern elephant seal and sea lion populations in South America from the H5N1 virus. You can watch a webinar from Uhart on the current state of avian flu here. Contact: muhart@ucdavis.edu

Dairy cows and farm safety

Noelia Silva-del-Rio is an associate specialist at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, based at the Tulare Veterinary Medicine Teaching and Research Center. Her expertise lies in dairy cattle herd health, focusing on management, antimicrobial stewardship, and dairy worker training. She can address preventative measures to reduce transmission in dairy herds and on-farm food safety aspects of milk from affected herds. Additionally, she can discuss California and federal recommendations regarding the movement of dairy cattle from states with infected herds. Fluent in both English and Spanish. Contact: nsilvadelrio@ucdavis.edu

Michael Payne, a food animal veterinarian working within the UC Davis Western Institute for Food Safety and Security, or WIFSS. Payne is a nationally recognized expert in biosecurity, protective measures that can be implemented preventing disease entry onto the farm. Outreach has included online and printed materials for livestock and poultry producers. Contact: mpayne@ucdavis.edu, cell: 530-304-9306

Pets

Jane Sykes is a professor of small animal medicine at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine with a special interest in small animal infectious diseases. She can discuss transmission of avian flu and other infectious diseases between humans and pets. She has co-authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and is the editor of the Elsevier textbook Canine and Feline Infectious Diseases. Contact: jesykes@ucdavis.edu

Testing

Beate Crossley, professor of clinical diagnostic virology at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. She has over 20 years of experience diagnosing viral disease in livestock and poultry at the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory. She can answer questions about avian influenza test diagnostic interpretation and test validation. Since 2009, she has been engaged with the USDA’s National Animal Health Laboratory Network. Crossley is also involved in foreign animal disease investigations, working closely with the National Veterinary Services Laboratory, the USDA and state authorities. Contact: bcrossley@ucdavis.edu