Colorado State University, One Health Institute has initiated a project to examine eggs from diverse backyard flocks in Northern Colorado for the presence of antibodies against West Nile disease.

Eggs are delivered to the laboratory of Dr. Angela Bosco-Lauth of the Colorado State University Department of Biomedical Sciences who has studied West Nile viruses since 2005.  The yolks of eggs are harvested and are assayed for the presence of specific West Nile disease antibodies.  As of early October, seven eggs demonstrated antibodies out of 100 eggs examined.

Conventionally public health and mosquito control agencies place sentinel chickens to detect the presence of Eastern and Western equine encephalitis virus in and area.  Chickens are refractory to clinical effects following infection with a wide range of arborviruses but develop antibodies following bites by infected mosquitos.  As a variation on the placement of sentinel hens that require maintenance and protection from predators and the environment, backyard chickens should serve as a reliable system to detect the presence of virus.