ALAMEDA, Calif. — Today, Alveo Technologies and AgriNerds Inc., announced a strategic partnership to create a new system of surveillance that alerts farmers of highly pathogenic avian influenza risks near their farms.
AgriNerds developed the Waterfowl Alert Network, a first-off-its-kind dynamic surveillance and awareness program that predicts historic and daily waterfowl activity around the nation’s poultry and livestock farms, Alveo said in the partnership announcement.
This partnership will pair the WAN with Alveo’s own unique, quick, molecular diagnostic to develop a proprietary system that uses a combination of satellite imagery, weather radar, and telemetry to create daily farm-level HPAI risk scores based on remote sensing and HPAI surveillance data, Alveo added.
Since the current HPAI outbreak began in 2022, poultry producers have heavily invested in improving their biosecurity practices to fight against HPAI and other pathogens. However, farms have continued to struggle with HPAI outbreaks.
This is mainly because of migratory birds. In fact, migratory birds have been the source of infection for 68 percent of U.S. H5N1 outbreaks since 2022, according to APHIS.
To combat these outbreaks, producers usually use one of two strategies for testing. Most tests are administered only when animals display flu-like symptoms, but this approach risks detecting the virus too late to prevent it from spreading, Alveo noted.
Some conduct periodic blind surveillance testing, which has the advantage of enabling early detection, but can be expensive, Alveo added. This new system will allow farmers to get ahead of the outbreak before it even begins.
Alveo and AgriNerds’ new rapid and targeted approach is dynamic surveillance that warns farmers when the risk of infection is high. AgriNerds’ Waterfowl Alert Network will use radar imagery to detect migratory bird movements, analyze the data using AI-powered pattern recognition software, and generate daily risk scores it shares with customers, Alveo explained.
Then, when risk escalates, Alveo’s on-site molecular test will help farmers to run asymptomatic surveillance testing that provides accurate results in less than an hour. This targeted, risk-based testing approach is designed to lower costs and increase effectiveness, so farmers can detect the virus early and reduce its spread, Alveo noted.
“To stop the spread of HPAI, producers need tools that will enable them to monitor risk and, when it’s elevated, employ rapid, accurate tests so they can take quick action and prevent further infection,” Shaun Holt, Alveo Technologies CEO, said. “This dynamic solution will aggregate and simplify rich data from AgriNerds and deliver sophisticated risk assessments to user phones in a simple red, yellow and green format. They can then run surveillance tests based on informed risk and rapidly respond if bird flu is detected.”
The two organizations will use this feedback loop to strengthen the accuracy of risk assessments over time, Alveo said. As more test data comes in across the nation and throughout the year, the alerts and testing guidance will become more accurate and valuable, protecting the nation’s food supply and the producers’ businesses.
“Biosecurity extends far beyond the facility’s fence line. Our Waterfowl Alert Network gives farmers visibility into the dynamic risk landscape around their operations,” Maurice Pitesky, University of California-Davis professor and co-founder of AgriNerds, said. “When paired with Alveo’s testing capability and rapid results, farmers can respond to real risks in real time. In this way, agriculture can move past reactive disease management to adopt a proactive, risk-informed approach.”
For more information about AgriNerds and the WAN, visit https://www.agrinerds.com. For more information about Alveo, visit https://www.alveotechnologies.com/.
