Highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI, has been detected on commercial farms in California and other parts of the U.S. The most recent outbreak of the highly transmissible strain of bird flu began in early 2022 and has resulted in the deaths of wild birds, marine mammals, poultry, dairy cattle, domestic cats and other animals. The Centers for Disease Control has confirmed one human death and 68 human cases as of February 2025. The following University of California, Davis, sources are available to share their expertise to the media on the topic.

Wild birds, waterfowl and poultry

Maurice Pitesky, associate professor in cooperative extension at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. Pitesky’s research focus is on highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI, disease modeling. He examines how the disease moves from waterfowl, such as ducks and geese, to domestic poultry. He can also speak in general terms about the economic, environmental and animal welfare impact of HPAI. Contact: mepitesky@ucdavis.edu, office: 530-752-3215, cell: 530-219-1407

Rodrigo Gallardo, professor in poultry medicine at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. He is a veterinarian board-certified by the American College of Poultry Veterinarians and holds a Ph.D. in molecular poultry virology. He provides technical advice to the poultry industry in California and across the U.S. His research focuses on poultry RNA viruses including reoviruses, coronaviruses and influenza viruses. He has been the head of the poultry medicine program at the School of Veterinary Medicine for more than 10 years. Bilingual in Spanish and English. Contact: ragallardo@ucdavis.edu, cell: 530-219-4963

Richard Blatchford, an associate specialist of Cooperative Extension at the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. He focuses on husbandry, behavior and welfare of small- to large-scale poultry production. He can answer general questions about avian influenza. Contact: rablatchford@ucdavis.edu

Huaijun Zhou, professor of animal science at the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and director of the USAID Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Genomics to Improve Poultry. Zhou’s lab has done research on genetic resistance to avian flu infection using genetic, genomic and bioinformatics approaches. Contact: hzhou@ucdavis.edu, office: 530-752-1034

Sea birds and marine mammals

Marcela Uhart, director of the Argentina-based Latin America Program with the UC Davis Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center, in the School of Veterinary Medicine. Uhart can discuss impacts of avian influenza to sea birds and marine mammals, including sea lions and elephant seals. In December 2023, she co-authored a report of extreme mortality in southern elephant seal and sea lion populations in South America from the H5N1 virus. You can watch a webinar from Uhart on the current state of avian flu here. Contact: muhart@ucdavis.edu

Dairy cows and farm safety

Michael Payne, a food animal veterinarian working within the UC Davis Western Institute for Food Safety and Security, or WIFSS. Payne is a nationally recognized expert in biosecurity, protective measures that can be implemented preventing disease entry onto the farm. Outreach has included online and printed materials for livestock and poultry producers. Contact: mpayne@ucdavis.edu, cell: 530-304-9306

Economic Impacts

Daniel A. Sumner is the Frank H. Buck Jr. Distinguished Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at UC Davis. He is also the director of the University of California Giannini Foundation for Agricultural Economics. He can discuss how avian flu has affected patterns of wholesale and retail egg and milk production and prices. He also has expertise on national milk policy, including organic and plant-based milk markets. Contact: dasumner@ucdavis.edu

Luis Peña-Lévano is assistant professor of Cooperative Extension in Dairy Cattle Production, Health and Management Economics at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. Peña-Lévano's research is focused on dairy economics and production, financial management, agribusiness, international trade and agricultural and environmental policy. He can discuss the economic impact of avian flu on dairy farms, including milk production disruptions, increased farmers’ costs and trade restrictions. Contact: lpenalevano@ucdavis.edu

Pets

Jane Sykes is a professor of small animal medicine at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine with a special interest in small animal infectious diseases. She can discuss transmission of avian flu and other infectious diseases between humans and pets. She has co-authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and is the editor of the Elsevier textbook Canine and Feline Infectious Diseases. Contact: jesykes@ucdavis.edu

Human and public health risk

Dean Blumberg is the chief of pediatric infectious diseases at UC Davis Children’s Hospital. He can discuss the risks of avian flu to humans, the signs and symptoms of avian flu as well as treatment options that are currently available. He can also discuss current testing for humans. His main clinical areas of interest are preventing and treating childhood infections. He is involved in clinical vaccine research and childhood immunization policies. Contact: hs-publicaffairs@ucdavis.edu

Testing

Beate Crossley, professor of clinical diagnostic virology at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. She has over 20 years of experience diagnosing viral disease in livestock and poultry at the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory. She can answer questions about avian influenza test diagnostic interpretation and test validation. Since 2009, she has been engaged with the USDA’s National Animal Health Laboratory Network. Crossley is also involved in foreign animal disease investigations, working closely with the National Veterinary Services Laboratory, the USDA and state authorities. Contact: bcrossley@ucdavis.edu