Study results:
West Nile virus (WNV) infects the eyes of red-tailed hawks, causing vision impairment that may lead to total blindness. With funding from MAF, scientists now have a better understanding of how the virus targets and damages the retina, and they were also able to identify different types of lesions that they believe represent various stages of WNV disease. This valuable knowledge will help with early diagnosis, determine severity of disease and provide for better treatments for red-tailed hawks and other related raptors. This First Award grant also helped a newly appointed faculty member establish his lab and research program. (D07ZO-303)
Tags: raptors, west nile virus