Innovative poultry health system targets rising avian influenza risks with rapid diagnostics and satellite data

Alveo Technologies and AgriNerds develop a pioneering system combining satellite surveillance and rapid molecular testing to enable targeted, proactive management of highly pathogenic avian influenza in poultry farms, aiming to curb outbreaks more efficiently.

Poultry producers may soon get a more targeted way to manage highly pathogenic avian influenza, as Alveo Technologies and AgriNerds combine bird-movement surveillance with rapid on-farm molecular testing.

The companies say the system is intended to shift producers away from routine or symptom-led testing and towards screening only when risk rises. AgriNerds’ Waterfowl Alert Network uses satellite imagery, weather radar, telemetry, remote sensing and disease-surveillance data to generate farm-level HPAI risk scores. Alveo’s portable diagnostic tool is designed to deliver results in under an hour, rather than the days often required for laboratory PCR testing.

According to the companies, migratory birds remain a major source of infection. They cite US Department of Agriculture data showing that migratory birds have been linked to 68% of US H5N1 outbreaks since 2022.

Shaun Holt, Alveo’s chief executive, said the system would send simplified red, yellow and green risk signals to users’ phones so they can act faster when exposure is elevated. Maurice Pitesky, AgriNerds’ chief executive and a UC Davis professor, said the approach could move poultry biosecurity beyond the farm gate and towards a more proactive model.

AgriNerds says its network is already used by more than 1,500 farms across 25 states. The companies also plan to use test results to improve future risk scoring.