Genetically Modified Chickens That Don't Transmit Bird Flu Developed

Chickens genetically modified to prevent them spreading bird flu have been produced by researchers at the Universities of Cambridge and Edinburgh.

The scientists have successfully developed genetically modified (transgenic) chickens that do not transmit avian influenza virus to other chickens with which they are in contact. This genetic modification has the potential to stop bird flu outbreaks spreading within poultry flocks. This would not only protect the health of domestic poultry but could also reduce the risk of bird flu epidemics leading to new flu virus epidemics in the human population.

When the transgenic chickens were infected with avian flu, they became sick but did not transmit the infection on to other chickens kept in the same pen with them. This was the case even if the other chickens were normal (non-transgenic) birds.

Original Paper:

Jon Lyall, Richard M. Irvine, Adrian Sherman, Trevelyan J. Mckinley, Alejandro Núñez, Auriol Purdie, Linzy Outtrim, Ian H. Brown, Genevieve Rolleston-Smith, Helen Sang, and Laurence Tiley. Suppression of Avian Influenza Transmission in Genetically Modified Chickens. Science, 2011; 331 (6014): 223-226 DOI: 10.1126/science.1198020

Source:

http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/news/dp/2011011303