FLUTEST

The primary goal of this proposal will be the joint development and application of technologies to combat avian influenza infections. This goal will be achieved through the interaction of leading European institutes along with the collaboration of non-EU laboratories experienced in AI outbreak control and management. A study will be conducted to establish the effectiveness of the current EU surveillance and early warning systems for AI and then to develop blueprints for improvements to these programmes in disease free periods and during outbreaks. The model will include criteria for harmonized diagnostic tests for on-farm outbreak investigation. To complement this study a range of diagnostic tools will be developed, evaluated and validated alongside the evaluation of a range of commercially available tests. This will include sophisticated laboratory based methods, high throughput techniques for molecular and serological testing, penside testing and simplified tests for use in laboratories with limited resources or experience. Efforts will particularly focus on the validation of tests for use on clinical materials derived from Anseriformes, other wild birds species and some selected mammalian species.