USPOULTRY and the USPOULTRY Foundation are accepting research preproposals from colleges, universities and research facilities through Nov. 1, on combatting avian metapneumovirus (aMPV) in the poultry industry.

Hundreds of aMPV detections have been reported from producers across the country in the first and second quarters of 2024 after very few detections of the virus in the U.S. over the past two decades, causing the virus to become a major area of concern for the industry. Currently, there is no commercially approved vaccine available for the poultry industry in the U.S., leaving limited options for addressing the disease challenge.

The goal of this initiative is to explore mitigation strategies, including vaccination and controlled early exposure. The aim is to evaluate various vaccine technologies—such as killed, modified live and other innovative approaches—and identify methods for exposing young breeding candidates (e.g., turkey and chicken) before they begin laying to effectively induce immunity.

On Oct. 3 at 1:30 p.m. ET, the USPOULTRY Foundation Research Advisory Committee (FRAC) will host a Zoom webinar to provide an overview of the request for proposals (RFPs) related to this topic and two other Board Research Initiative topics as well as the process for submitting a preproposal. The webinar is free and open to all researchers interested in learning more about the RFPs for the three topics. The webinar will provide an opportunity to ask specific questions to the FRAC, and it will be recorded and made available afterward. The link can be accessed here.

Visit the USPOULTRY website for complete instructions to submit a preproposal.