In the heartland of Iowa, nestled among seemingly ordinary farm fields, lies the National Animal Disease Center - a hub of scientific research and innovation. With the infectious bird flu outbreak wreaking havoc on U.S. animals, 43 dedicated scientists at this government research facility are committed to finding a solution and developing preventative measures.

Located just outside Ames, the facility has been at the forefront of tackling animal diseases since its establishment in 1961. Over the years, the center has developed vaccines to combat various threats to pigs and cattle, including hog cholera and brucellosis. During the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic, commonly known as "swine flu," researchers at the center confirmed that the virus was confined to the respiratory tract of pigs, assuring the safety of pork consumption.

The National Animal Disease Center, with its rich history and extensive resources, plays a crucial role in combating diseases that affect both animals and humans. Collaborating with renowned flu researcher Richard Webby from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, the center is currently focusing on testing a cow vaccine to halt the spread of the bird flu virus. By curbing its transmission among cows, the researchers hope to minimize the risk of it evolving into a widespread human disease.

Spread across a sprawling 523-acre site, the campus houses 93 buildings that include a high-containment laboratory. While its exterior may resemble a modern megachurch, inside, it is a bustling facility with segmented corridors and rooms dedicated to working with hazardous pathogens like the H5N1 bird flu. Additionally, the center has a three-story building with offices for animal disease researchers and a testing center akin to the CDC labs in Atlanta, but specifically tailored for animal infections.

Employing around 660 people, a third of whom are assigned to the animal disease center, the facility operates on an annual budget of $38 million. This year, their endeavors intensified after the H5N1 bird flu unexpectedly crossed over to infect dairy cows, a development that caught scientists by surprise. While udder infections are commonly caused by bacteria, the emergence of a flu virus in cows was an unusual occurrence.

Kaitlyn Sarlo Davila, a researcher at the Ames facility, mentioned that influenza is typically regarded as a respiratory disease, making the transmission to cows intriguing. Now, Amy Baker, an award-winning researcher who specializes in flu in pigs, is leading efforts to develop a vaccine for cows. The initial results of the vaccine testing are expected soon.

While the work being carried out at the center shows promise, USDA spokesperson Shilo Weir emphasized that it is still in the early stages of development. Currently, there is no approved bird flu vaccine for use on U.S. poultry farms, and even if poultry vaccines are pursued, eliminating the virus entirely would pose significant challenges.

In addition to testing the vaccine, the researchers in Ames are focusing on studying the transmission dynamics of the virus among cows. Using a high-containment building, they exposed cows to a virus-carrying mist and found that the virus primarily spread through milk containing high levels of the virus. This has implications for the shared milking equipment and raises questions about the potential of the virus spreading from cows to other animals or even humans.

A study conducted by the Iowa center and several universities revealed that the bird flu virus was likely circulating among cows for months before its official detection in Texas in March. Researchers also highlighted a rare combination of genes in the virus that led to its transmission to cows. Further investigation is underway to understand whether this gene combination facilitated its spread among cows or from cows to other species.

As the scientists in Ames continue their tireless efforts, their research questions persist. Can cows have their own unique strains of the flu virus? Can the virus be transmitted from cows to wild birds or even humans and pigs? Understanding these dynamics is crucial and will continue to drive the outstanding research conducted at the National Animal Disease Center for years to come.