In an effort to control the avian flu, a senior research associate at Penn State last month announced the development of a quick screen test to stop the sickness that is spreading throughout Asian bird populations.

Huaguang Lu said he first noticed the need for a speedy avian flu screen test after the outbreaks of the flu in Pennsylvania in 1998.

After some promising preliminary results from early tests of clinical and field specimens, Lu received a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture for his findings in 2000 and successfully developed and applied his research in a real-world situation when there was another outbreak of influenza in 2001.

The avian flu is currently affecting Lu's home province of Liaoning in China.

"It's a screen test to give early information," Lu said.

"We can process and do the test the same day so we have some preliminary results."

The quickness associated with his dot-ELISA test can reduce monetary losses and also losses in poultry.

John Enck, director of the animal diagnostic laboratory at Penn State, said the United Nations has already contacted Lu in an effort to slow the spread of avian flu in Asia and Eastern Europe.

"He has now completed two trips to Southeast Asia and helped develop labs there that can now run standard tests," Enck said. "If you can make a diagnosis in minutes, rather than days, that gives you a big jump on controlling any infection."

Lu said other labs in China have contacted him for consultation.

"The Tianjin Veterinary Research Institute in China has contacted me in October for an invitation for consultation and possible collaboration in developing specific monoclonal antibodies to avian influenza virus and swine influenza virus," he said.

Lu said he will try to help provide the screen tests for countries affected by the avian flu for the low material cost of the test, which is about 50 cents.

"I don't worry any high path strain of the bird flu will come to the United States," he said.

"The problem area is South Asian countries, so the future for this test must be there, where the virus is still circulating between birds and humans."

Lu said the dot-ELISA test can detect all 15 H-subtypes, including the especially dangerous H5 and H7 strains.

The virus currently affecting large areas of Asia is the H5N1 strain.

"The H5 and H7 subtypes of [the avian flu] are vital subtypes in poultry," he said.

"They have the potential to mutate to highly pathogenic strains which cause high mortality in poultry." Paul Knepley, director of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Animal Health and Diagnostic Services, said Lu's test could also affect Pennsylvania farmers.

"It's a very quick test that gives us a powerful tool in our arsenal of diagnostics tests," he said. "It can help decide whether a farmer's flock of poultry will have to come under quarantine or whether that flock will need to be depopulated."

Knepley said Lu needs to work on refining the test and its validity.

"The next step is to begin validating it, so it is recognized by the international community," he said.

Knepley said this test is not only a large step for the international community, but also one for the agricultural community.

"Lu's contributions as a researcher are valuable to the entire commonwealth agriculture industry that has access to the fruits of his labor," he said. "The Department of Agriculture is very pleased to have researchers of his caliber -- that kind of expertise is very valuable to the industry."

Enck said the university is applying for a patent for the test, but as of now it is the intellectual property of Penn State.