UC Davis Research Explores Natural Bird Flu Resistance in Chickens

California's poultry industry has spent years battling highly pathogenic avian influenza. Now, researchers at UC Davis are asking a new question: What if some chickens are naturally better at resisting the virus than others?

The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research, a nonprofit established in the 2014 Farm Bill to advance agricultural research, has joined UC Davis in investing nearly $300,000 to find out. Researchers will compare Fayoumi chickens, a heritage breed known for its hardiness and disease resistance, with commercial broiler and layer chickens, looking for genes and biological pathways associated with resistance to bird flu.

The team will also study how the birds' immune systems respond to infection, helping identify the genes and biological pathways associated with disease resistance. If successful, the findings could help support future breeding programs designed to strengthen natural disease resistance in commercial poultry.

Over time, that work could help reduce economic losses from future outbreaks, lessen reliance on emergency disease-control measures, and strengthen the long-term stability of the U.S. food supply. Learn more at https://foundationfar.org/news/rapid-funding-to-explore-disease-resistant-poultry-for-avian-influenza-control/