Announcement

**Harriet** · September 21, 2006, 02:45 PM

Re: Low Path H5-N1 in Montana ducks

Thanks for the update

http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?contentidonly=true&contentid=2006/09/0369.xml

Joint USDA and DOI Release: Montana Wild Bird Samples Undergo Additional Avian Influenza Testing

WASHINGTON, Sept. 21, 2006 - The U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Interior today announced a detection of the H5 and N1 avian influenza subtypes in samples from wild Northern pintail ducks in Montana. Initial tests confirm that these samples do not contain the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain that has spread through birds in Asia, Europe and Africa. These samples were collected from apparently healthy ducks and initial test results indicate the presence of low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) virus, which poses no threat to human health.

The duck samples were collected on Sept. 15 in Cascade County, Montana, by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks as part of a cooperative, expanded wild bird monitoring program. Sixty-six samples were collected directly from the birds using cloacal swabs. Samples were initially screened at the Colorado State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. Of the 66 samples tested at the Colorado State University state lab, 16 samples were sent to USDA's National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL) in Ames, Iowa for confirmatory testing.

One of the 16 samples screened by NVSL tested positive for both H5 and N1. However, this does not mean these birds are infected with an H5N1 strain. It is possible that there could be two separate avian influenza viruses, one containing H5 and the other containing N1. Confirmatory testing underway at NVSL will clarify whether one or more strains of the virus are present, the specific subtype, as well as confirm the pathogenicity. These results are expected within two to three weeks and will be made public when completed.

The Departments of Agriculture and Interior are working collaboratively with States to sample wild birds throughout the United States as well as in Canada and Mexico for the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). As a result of this expanded testing program, USDA and DOI expect to identify additional cases of common strains of avian influenza in birds, which is not cause for concern.

Low pathogenic avian influenza commonly occurs in wild birds and can be found in a number of duck populations including the Northern pintail. It typically causes only minor or no noticeable symptoms. These strains of the virus include LPAI H5N1, commonly referred to as North American H5N1, which is very different from the more severe highly pathogenic H5N1 circulating overseas.

Duck populations, including Northern pintail ducks, are commonly hunted. There is no known health risk to hunters or hunting dogs from contact with low pathogenic forms of avian influenza virus. Nevertheless, hunters are always encouraged to use common sense sanitation practices, such as hand washing and thorough cooking, when handling or preparing wildlife of any kind. Interior has issued guidelines for safe handling and preparation of wild game.

For more information about USDA's efforts and research related to avian influenza, go to http://www.usda.gov/birdflu. For more information about Interior's efforts and hunter education program, go to http://www.doi.gov/issues/avianflu.html. For information about the federal government's overall efforts related to avian influenza and human pandemic preparedness, go to http://www.avianflu.gov.

**Harriet** · September 21, 2006, 06:16 PM

Re: Low Path H5-N1 in Montana ducks

Alaska

**Harriet** · September 21, 2006, 06:33 PM

Re: Low Path H5-N1 in Montana ducks

reuters.com

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=domesticNews&storyID=2006-09-21T194956Z_01_N21376770_RTRUKOC_0_US-BIRDFLU-USA.xml&archived=False

U.S. tests Montana ducks for avian influenza strain

**Harriet** · September 21, 2006, 06:38 PM

Re: Low Path H5-N1 in Montana ducks

Northern Pintails

Among the target species is the Northern pintail, a migratory duck common in Alaska. Some Alaskan pintails are known to summer in Russia.

"If there is transmission of avian flu going on among the wild population of birds, pintails could potentially become infected and bring the virus to North America," said Russ Oates, the chief of the waterfowl branch at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Anchorage.

So far, there is no evidence of avian flu in North America. But Ip worries that it might just be a matter of time before the disease spreads out of Asia.

"The longer the virus persists in poultry, the greater the chance that, at some point, it will spread to species of wild birds that can carry the virus to new areas," the USGS virologist said. "It is like playing Russian roulette?time is not on our side."

Stefan Lovgren
for National Geographic News

September 13, 2005

National Geographic

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/09/0913_050913_birdflu_2.html

Explore National Geographic. A world leader in geography, cartography and exploration.

**Sharpe** · September 21, 2006, 06:46 PM

Re: Low Path H5-N1 in Montana ducks

Since we're posting maps, here is my map of the area. Red arrow marks Cascade County, Montana.

Attached Files

**Harriet** · September 21, 2006, 06:57 PM

Re: Low Path H5-N1 in Montana ducks

Very cool map you have there. Have been looking for an interactive map like that one. How did you do that ie., get labels on areas etc.

**Sharpe** · September 21, 2006, 07:16 PM

Re: Low Path H5-N1 in Montana ducks

Originally posted by PonyGirl

Very cool map you have there. Have been looking for an interactive map like that one. How did you do that ie., get labels on areas etc.

I use Google Earth, which is a neat program you can download from Google (http://earth.google.com), and every time I read an article of interest to me, I search for the location of it, then add a placemark there, and insert the whole article into the placemark. Most of Theresa's translated articles from the last 16 months, and thousands of bird flu articles as well as bizarre outbreaks have been placed into it. It will be a great resource in the future for understanding how bird flu (and speculative bird flu) news evolved over time on a global level. Plus it's been fun.

**hawkeye** · September 21, 2006, 07:19 PM

Re: Low Path H5-N1 in Montana ducks

PonyGirl-
It's all done by creating/editing a KML (Keyhole Markup Language) file, which is then read by the Google Earth application and rendered to the screen:

http://earth.google.com/kml/

**HenryN** · September 21, 2006, 08:32 PM

Re: Low Path H5-N1 in Montana ducks

Commentary at

H5N1 Bird Flu in Montana

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/09210602/H5N1_Montana.html

Recombinomics Commentary

**Harriet** · September 21, 2006, 08:50 PM

Re: Low Path H5-N1 in Montana ducks

Wow fantastic article Dr. Direct and to the point. Dead on as usual and you have the tenacity, courage & authority to say it. Mostly what everyone here speculated also.

Am using that google earth interactive map to track "low path" new cases.
Its really good but am finding it cumbersome and slow to work with.
Was able to put the cases on the map with dates and background.

**sharon sanders** · September 21, 2006, 09:14 PM

Re: Low Path H5-N1 in Montana ducks

Great work everyone.

**HenryN** · September 22, 2006, 05:32 AM

Re: Low Path H5-N1 in Montana ducks

Testing of Montana birds reveals flu ? not the dangerous kind

By SUSAN GALLAGHER - Associated Press Writer - 9/22/06

HELENA ? Samples taken from some ducks in Montana indicate a type of bird flu that is not a threat to human health and typically does not harm birds, federal and state officials said Thursday.

Tests on samples from Northern pintail ducks found no evidence of the H5N1 strain of flu that has infected birds in Asia, Europe and Africa and has killed at least 141 people. H5N1 has not been detected in the United States.

A Colorado State University laboratory tested 66 samples taken from Northern pintail ducks in Montana, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Interior Department said in a news release. Sixteen of the 66 were sent to the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Iowa for more tests. Some tested positive for H5, some were positive for N1 and one sample was positive for both. Results of further testing on that sample will be available within three weeks, officials said.

Even finding H5 and N1 together would not signal health concerns, but the sample is of research interest, and therefore the additional testing was ordered, the USDA said.

The Montana findings were announced because of a federal commitment to make information from national bird-flu surveillance public even if it is not cause for concern, the agency said.

The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks collected the samples last Friday at Benton Lake, near Great Falls, during routine work in which bands are placed on migratory birds to help track their movement.
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Samples are being taken from wild birds nationwide for the flu surveillance. Avian flu not associated with health risks also has been found in other states, including Pennsylvania and Maryland.

Mark Atkinson, wildlife veterinarian for Fish, Wildlife and Parks, said the Montana samples revealed no risk to people who eat wild birds nor to hunters or hunting dogs. The ducks from which samples were taken were returned to the wild, Atkinson said.

??We know that avian influenza is naturally found in migratory waterfowl and shore birds,?? Atkinson said. ??These viruses generally don?t cause adverse effects in the birds.??

http://www.helenair.com/articles/200...1092206_04.txt

**Mellie** · September 22, 2006, 10:55 AM

Re: Low Path H5-N1 in Montana ducks

H5N1 Bird Flu in Montana

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/09210602/H5N1_Montana.html

Recombinomics Commentary

<big><big>Commentary</big></big>

H5N1 Bird Flu in Montana
Recombinomics Commentary
September 21, 2006

The U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Interior today announced a detection of the H5 and N1 avian influenza subtypes in samples from wild Northern pintail ducks in Montana. Initial tests confirm that these samples do not contain the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain that has spread through birds in Asia, Europe and Africa. These samples were collected from apparently healthy ducks and initial test results indicate the presence of low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) virus, which poses no threat to human health.

The duck samples were collected on Sept. 15 in Cascade County, Montana, by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks as part of a cooperative, expanded wild bird monitoring program. Sixty-six samples were collected directly from the birds using cloacal swabs. Samples were initially screened at the Colorado State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. Of the 66 samples tested at the Colorado State University state lab, 16 samples were sent to USDA's National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL) in Ames, Iowa for confirmatory testing.

One of the 16 samples screened by NVSL tested positive for both H5 and N1.

The above comments indicate H5N1 has been detected in Montana. Although it is possible that the two detected serotypes for H and N are not from the same virus, all prior reported examples in the United States this year have been H5N1. Previously H5N1 was in mute swans in southern Michigan, in mallards in Maryland, and in mallards in Pennsylvania. The report of H5N1 in Montana suggests H5N1 is widespread in the United States.

Canada has not released details of serotypes detected this year other than to indicate that the results mirror last year?s findings which included H5N1, H5N2, H5N3, and H5N6. One report from Quebec indicates H5N2 and H5N6 has been detected this year.

However, only H5N1 has been reported in the United States. Canada also reported H5 from a dead duck on Prince Edward Island. The sample degraded prior to testing in Winnipeg, but the evidence from Prince Edward Island strongly implicated the Qinghai strain of H5N1.

It remains unclear why only H5N1 has been reported in the United States. Release of the H5N1 sequences would be useful. H5N2 in Canada had acquire swine sequences inn addition to H5N1 sequences in internal genes.

**Marcie** · September 22, 2006, 04:02 PM

Re: Low Path H5-N1 in Montana ducks

Dr. Niman,

Could you clarify one more thing? Do you mean LPAI

or HPAI

in the blue/green highlighted text below?

Thanks,
Marcie

Originally posted by Mellie

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/09...1_Montana.html

<big><big>Commentary</big></big>

H5N1 Bird Flu in Montana
Recombinomics Commentary
September 21, 2006

The U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Interior today announced a detection of the H5 and N1 avian influenza subtypes in samples from wild Northern pintail ducks in Montana. Initial tests confirm that these samples do not contain the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain that has spread through birds in Asia, Europe and Africa. These samples were collected from apparently healthy ducks and initial test results indicate the presence of low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) virus, which poses no threat to human health.

The duck samples were collected on Sept. 15 in Cascade County, Montana, by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks as part of a cooperative, expanded wild bird monitoring program. Sixty-six samples were collected directly from the birds using cloacal swabs. Samples were initially screened at the Colorado State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. Of the 66 samples tested at the Colorado State University state lab, 16 samples were sent to USDA's National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL) in Ames, Iowa for confirmatory testing.

One of the 16 samples screened by NVSL tested positive for both H5 and N1.

The above comments indicate H5N1 has been detected in Montana. Although it is possible that the two detected serotypes for H and N are not from the same virus, all prior reported examples in the United States this year have been H5N1. Previously H5N1 was in mute swans in southern Michigan, in mallards in Maryland, and in mallards in Pennsylvania. The report of H5N1 in Montana suggests H5N1 is widespread in the United States.

Canada has not released details of serotypes detected this year other than to indicate that the results mirror last year?s findings which included H5N1, H5N2, H5N3, and H5N6. One report from Quebec indicates H5N2 and H5N6 has been detected this year.

However, only H5N1 has been reported in the United States. Canada also reported H5 from a dead duck on Prince Edward Island. The sample degraded prior to testing in Winnipeg, but the evidence from Prince Edward Island strongly implicated the Qinghai strain of H5N1.

It remains unclear why only H5N1 has been reported in the United States. Release of the H5N1 sequences would be useful. H5N2 in Canada had acquire swine sequences inn addition to H5N1 sequences in internal genes.