Digging into penguin guano to uncover Antarctica’s disease history
A research team supported by POLARIN’s first call for Transnational Access to Polar Research Infrastructures travelled to Antarctica to build the first historical archive of avian pathogens in the region for the project #PathoPast.
Their approach may sound unusual: by analysing sediments preserved beneath Antarctic lakes, much of it containing ancient penguin guano, scientists can uncover traces of pathogens that affected wildlife hundreds or even thousands of years ago.
Understanding this long-term disease history is becoming increasingly important. In recent years, highly pathogenic avian influenza has spread rapidly across the globe, causing major mortality among wild birds and even infecting several mammal species.
As POLARIN Ambassador and postdoctoral fellow in the School of Public Health at Alex Mullens explains:
“Having a better understanding of past pathogen exposure can provide valuable context about the resilience of present-day penguin populations. With growing concerns about the spread of H5N1 in Antarctic ecosystems, this has never been more important.”
Read more about their research and discoveries in the news articles (The Telegraph UK and University of Nottingham):
Photo (c): Alex Williams, Eduardo J. Pizarro, Martha Ledger, Martha Ledger