USDA puts $5M toward bird flu study (UPI) WASHINGTON, June 2 (UPI) -- The University of Maryland-College Park has received $5 million from the U.S. Agriculture Department to renew bird flu research efforts, the agency said. [News Source]

USDA releases sequences of 150 avian flu viruses (CIDRAP) Jun 2, 2008 (CIDRAP News) – The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced the release of complete genetic data for 150 avian influenza viruses in an effort to connect genetic information with the biological effects of the viruses and to improve diagnostic tests. [News Source]

Avian influenza genome sequences released (Meat News) U.S. Department of Agriculture released the complete genetic coding sequences of 150 different avian influenza viruses to GenBank, the National Institutes of Health’s genetic sequence database on May 30. This information improves scientific understanding of avian influenza, a virus that mainly infects birds but that can also infect humans, according to U.S.D.A. [News Source]

National Avian Flu Research Project Receives New $5 Million (Newswise) As a human avian influenza pandemic remains a very real global threat, the University of Maryland-based Prevention and Control of Avian Influenza Coordinated Agricultural Project, AICAP, has been re-funded with a second five million dollar grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. [News Source]

USDA Awards $5 Million For Avian Influenza Research & Extension (CattleNetwork.com) WASHINGTON, June 2, 2008 -USDA announced today its continuing commitment to avian influenza research by renewing the Avian Influenza Coordinated Agricultural Project (AICAP) with another $5 million for three years to the University of Maryland-College Park to study the prevention and control of the disease. [News Source]