During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, a hidden network of wastewater pipelines running beneath Saskatchewan's cities became an unexpected ally in the fight against the virus. Thanks to quickly deployed research led by the University of Regina, wastewater testing offered a vital early warning system, tracking the rise and fall of infection rates when time and data were in short supply.
Now, as the echoes of the pandemic fade, those same methods are being adapted for a different health threat—avian influenza. Dr. Nicole Hansmeier, an associate professor of biology at Luther College at the University of Regina, and Dr. Tzu-Chiao Chao, a molecular microbiologist at the University’s Institute of Environmental Change and Society, were the U of R’s lead researchers behind southern Saskatchewan’s COVID-19 wastewater surveillance. Now they are again looking into what we flush away—not for signs of COVID-19, but for traces of the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu virus.
The stakes couldn’t be higher. While H5N1 primarily affects wild birds and poultry, its increasing spread to mammals—including cattle—raises serious alarm and heightens the risk of a public health crisis. Recently, Canada reported its first human case of H5N1 in a British Columbia teenager who, after weeks in the hospital, was fortunately discharged. And, since 2003, 139 people have died from H5N1 worldwide. These outbreaks also threaten food security and destabilize delicate ecosystems. “This isn’t just about chickens or cows,” says Hansmeier. “It’s about safeguarding the health of people, animals, and the environment as one interconnected system.”
To tackle this looming threat, a team from the U of R has joined forces, including Hansmeier, Tzu-Chiao, microbiologist Dr. Andrew Cameron, and biologist Dr. Kerri Finlay. Together, they’re adapting wastewater-based surveillance to monitor human populations, and the water sources shared by livestock and wildlife.
The project, funded by a $145,433 CIHR Catalyst Grant, aims to develop an integrated system that detects avian influenza in real-time. The team will analyse surface and wastewater for traces of the virus, providing an early warning for potential spillover events to humans. But their vision goes beyond data collection. “We need to bridge the gap between public and environmental health,” Hansmeier says. “It’s not enough to find the virus. We also need to act on that information quickly.”
To that end, the team is also building a communication framework to share findings between health partners. The goal is to ensure swift, coordinated responses to outbreaks that could save lives, protect food supplies, and safeguard wildlife.
The parallels to COVID-19 are striking. Wastewater surveillance proved to be a cost-effective and powerful tool during the pandemic. Now, it’s poised to play a key role in preventing the next potential global health crisis. “What we learned during COVID is invaluable,” Tzu-Chiao says. “The science is there, now we have to apply it to new challenges.”
The project, funded under CIHR’s Avian Influenza OneHealth Research grant, takes on the One Health approach, which recognises the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health. With bird flu already wreaking havoc on poultry farms and wildlife globally, their work couldn’t come at a more critical time.
In the quiet, unseen flow of wastewater, Hansmeier and her team are finding stories—stories of threats that could be stopped before they spread. And in those stories lies the promise of a safer, healthier future for all.
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