This agreement aims to understand the potential for sustained transmission of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) a H5N1 among wild mammals in areas with high poultry density and the risk of…

The Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service awarded the Regents of the University of Michigan a cooperative agreement totaling $1,096,690 on February 2, 2026, under the Plant and Animal Disease, Pest Control, and Animal Care program (CFDA 10.025).

The award funds a three-year investigation into highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A H5N1 transmission among wild mammals and the risk of introduction to poultry operations. Work is performed in Michigan counties with confirmed H5N1 in dairy and commercial poultry. The recipient will use live trapping, carcass collection, and feces sampling to estimate H5N1 prevalence among peridomestic mammals; employ phylogenic and landscape analyses to examine transmission routes within wild mammal populations; conduct camera trap studies to parameterize contact rates between poultry and wild/domestic mammals and wild birds; and develop transmission models to simulate the effectiveness of biosecurity measures—including fencing, wildlife corridors, and adverse conditioning deterrents—at preventing HPAI introductions into poultry from wildlife. The project will identify species with high H5N1 prevalence, characterize transmission routes among peridomestic mammals, parameterize contact rates, and quantify biosecurity effectiveness, informing wildlife-poultry interface management. Period of performance runs through February 1, 2029.

This agreement aims to understand the potential for sustained transmission of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) a H5N1 among wild mammals in areas with high poultry density and the risk of introduction from wild mammals to poultry, to inform biosecurity measures at the wildlife poultry interface. We hypothesize that 1) peridomestic mammals (i.e., wild mammals living near humans) could facilitate HPAI persistence in wild reservoirs and introduce the virus into poultry, and 2) novel biosecurity measures, such as landscape modifications, can deter potentially infectious wildlife from intruding into poultry operations. Activities: using live trapping, carcass collection, and feces sampling, we will estimate the prevalence of H5N1 among peridomestic mammals in michigan counties that have confirmed H5N1 in dairy and commercial poultry. Using phylogenic and landscape analyses, we will examine transmission routes within peridomestic mammals to determine if HPAI H5N1 may be sustained in wild reservoirs via mammal-to-mammal transmission. Using camera trap studies, we will parameterize contact rates between poultry and wild/domestic mammals and wild birds. With this data, we will develop transmission models simulating effectiveness of biosecurity measures (e.g., fencing, wildlife corridors, deterrents of wildlife through adverse conditioning) at preventing HPAI introductions into poultry from wildlife. Outcomes: understanding HPAI transmission among wild mammals is critical for assessing risks of sustained transmission among wildlife and spillover into poultry operations. The project will yield the following outcomes: 1) improved understanding of the prevalence of HPAI among peridomestic mammals in areas with high poultry density and identification of species with high prevalence; 2) improved understanding of the potential routes of transmission for HPAI among peridomestic mammals (e.g., from domestic birds, wild birds, or other wild mammals); 3) improved understanding of rates of wildlife poultry contact and an evidence-based evaluation of biosecurity measures that prevent transmission across the wildlife-poultry interface. Beneficiaries: poultry operations-from backyard flocks to large commercial farms-will benefit from a clearer understanding of the risk of HPAI introductions from wild mammals and evidence-based biosecurity recommendations. State wildlife agencies will gain improved HPAI surveillance strategies for wild mammals and landscape modification guidance to reduce wildlife intrusion onto poultry farms.