For the second year in a row, ducks in the pond at the Lewis and Clark County Fairgrounds will be tested for avian influenza.

The tests are part of a statewide effort by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, along with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to look for the highly contagious H5N1 Asian influenza virus, according to Rose Jaffe, FWP's avian influenza coordinator in Bozeman.

FWP hopes to collect 1,500 samples from areas where waterfowl concentrate.

"We're planning on sampling at ponds across the state, and will do hunter harvest sampling," Jaffe said. "We have six different check station locations we will go to, or we will roam about, like we do at Freezout Lake.

"The hunter harvest sampling is all volunteer. People were very generous last year, but if they're in a hurry they can always decline to participate."

She notes that similar tests are taking place nationwide. The information will be entered into a database to track avian influenza information collected from wild birds throughout the country.

According to information from the national Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, wild birds throughout the world carry the avian flu virus in their intestines, but usually don't get sick from the virus. However, it's quite contagious among birds, and can make some domesticated fowl, including chickens, ducks and turkeys, sick or even kill them.

Avian flu in humans has been reported every year since 1997, with most cases resulting from contact with domesticated poultry.

The particular strain Jaffe is looking for -- H5N1 -- hasn't been detected in any wild bird in North America, but it's been associated with illness and death in humans in Asia since 2003.

The spread of that strain from person to person has been rare so far, but officials worry that it could eventually result in an influenza pandemic because humans have little natural immunity to this particular virus.

Other cities in Montana where wild birds will be tested include Great Falls, Anaconda, Missoula and Billings.

The tests generally involve swabbing the birds' throats and reproductive openings -- using two separate swabs, Jaffe is quick to add. She said the birds generally are "quite subdued" during the process, since those taking the swabs know how to cradle them gently and keep them from flapping.

She expects the testing to begin in September and extend intermittently through December, and asks that the public not feed the waterfowl during that time, or disturb the swim-in traps FWP puts out.

"What happens is if people rush up to the trap, it scares them," Jaffe said. "And if they're feeding them, it makes it hard for us to lure the birds into the traps."

Reporter Eve Byron: eve.byron@helenair.com

or 447-4076