Editor's note: This is the first of a 2-part series about Arkansas State University research on West Nile virus.

By Sherry F. Pruitt

Sun education editor

Arkansas State University faculty and students are conducting research that may provide valuable data in the fight to prevent West Nile virus in humans.

The state's first suspected case of West Nile virus in a human this year was reported in Washington County. Last year three deaths were attributed to West Nile, and the disease was a complicating factor in two other deaths, Dr. Jim Bednarz, professor of biological sciences, said.

"West Nile is just starting to come in to where it could be a prevalent disease entity -- usually it's mid-July to August when we actually see incidences of West Nile," said Dr. Jeannette Loutsch, assistant professor of cell biology and virology.

Bednarz, Loutsch and Dr. Tom Risch, assistant professor of environmental biology, are sampling hundreds of birds and hundreds of mosquitoes in an effort to understand the pathways of West Nile virus from animals to humans in Arkansas, particularly the Delta, which is a high potential area for West Nile.

"We have a lot of forest wetlands, we have a lot of wet agricultural area, so we have breeding grounds for mosquitoes. We also have a great habitat for birds -- both migrating birds and resident birds," Bednarz said. "Since West Nile is known to be harbored in reservoir hosts, particularly birds, and then transferred from mosquitoes to humans, we're in this ideal situation for a potential human outbreak."

When identifying specific pathways, researchers believe they eventually could identify target areas for vector controls to minimize human risks or could determine areas and habitats that might have higher human risks. The information could be used to encourage people to take various precautions.

"With that background, our intention was to sample birds in various habitats and various times of the season," Bednarz said.

Part of the research includes using a mistnet to capture birds, including cardinals, red-winged blackbirds and indigo buntings. Up to four undergraduate and graduate students get out at 5 a.m. four days a week to help Bednarz catch birds, collect blood samples and other data and band the birds.

Sometimes they capture 20 birds, and other times, particularly during migration, they get more -- perhaps 70 to 80 birds.

They also catch additional birds when they go to the St. Francis Sunken Lands in eastern Craighead and Poinsett counties.

They band and number birds that are retrieved. Sometimes they catch the same birds, Bednarz said, and blood samples are again taken unless it's within a week of the first capture.

"These birds can now be followed wherever they go," Bednarz said.

Currently researchers, with the cooperation of area farmers, are capturing birds in crop fields, particularly mosquito-harboring rice fields, between Jonesboro and Lake City.

Researchers have been netting birds since June 1 in Craighead County and will continue into August.

Bednarz's proposal was one of nine funded in January by Arkansas Biosciences Institute grants totaling $1.8 million.

The study was funded under the title of "Vector Ecology of West Nile Virus: An Assessment of Human Risk in the Delta Region of Arkansas."