New Delhi, Nov 22 (IANS): Amid rising threats of bird flu killing hundreds of birds and also spilling over to some mammals and even humans, a global research team on Friday announced Steadfast -- an advanced diagnostic kit for detecting the highly pathogenic H5N1 Avian Influenza Virus (AIV).

This development marks a significant breakthrough in avian influenza monitoring, reinforcing global efforts in pandemic preparedness, said the team from Diagnostics Development Hub (DxD Hub) -- a national platform hosted by the Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A-STAR), Singapore, in collaboration with researchers from Japan.

The newly developed Steadfast offers rapid detection of the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu virus. It also helps differentiate between highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) and low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) strains -- critical for effective control measures.

While conventional sequencing methods take two to three days for results, Steadfast can detect HPAI H5 strains (H5N1, H5N5, H5N6) in about three hours.

In the recent past, the highly pathogenic bird flu virus has caused mass mortality in chickens and wild birds worldwide. The infections also spread to seals, cats, cattle, and even from cattle to humans -- increasing the threat of a potential next pandemic virus.

Dr Onuma Manabu, Head of the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES), Biodiversity Resource Conservation Office in Japan said that these events show how rapidly the virus is mutating.

This stresses “the importance of establishing an effective surveillance system and developing faster detection methods that can promptly adapt to virus mutation to prevent the spread of infection,” Manabu said.

Manabu said the novel kit “meets this demand, and its widespread use” can help remove “public anxiety and allow for a more flexible response to the spread of infection”.

Detecting the virus and the strains early and rapidly is important as it can help monitor more migratory birds, provide timely warnings, and also reinforce biosecurity at poultry facilities, said the team. The timely responses can also significantly reduce transmission risks and help prevent potentially devastating epidemics.