Hawaii - Kauai?s chicken die-off has scientists trying to rule out avian influenza - Necropsy to test for bird flu and botulism

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Kauai?s chicken die-off has scientists trying to rule out avian influenza

Necropsy to test for bird flu and botulism

UPDATED 8:10 PM HST Sep 14, 2015
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Scientists hope to analyze necropsy results from the Kauai chickens this week to determine if they died of bird flu or botulism.

The discovery of 13 dead or dying chickens near the Kauai County building is promptinga closer look at just what killed them.

The recent outbreak of avian influenza in the Midwest triggered a massive kill of millions of egg-laying chickens.

And veterinarians for the state agriculture are on guard.
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State officials said in the last two weeks they have had reports of a die-off of ducks near Kapaa, as well as chickens in Puna on the big Island.
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http://www.kitv.com/news/kauais-chicken-dieoff-has-scientists-trying-to-rule-out-avian-influenza/35275276

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More dead chickens found

4th batch sent for testing as cause of deaths remains under investigation

Posted: Saturday, September 19, 2015 2:00 am
Michelle Iracheta - The Garden Island | 3 comments

LIHUE ? When Eben Gering and his colleagues from Michigan State University came back to study the chickens of Kauai, they didn?t expect to be bagging dead birds.

But that?s exactly what they were doing Friday afternoon at the parking lot at Vidinha Stadium..
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Gering said he is trying to get the roughly 15 dead birds over to Hawaii State Department of Agriculture for testing.
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The dead chickens at Vidinha Stadium will be the fourth batch of birds from Kauai sent to USDA for testing in the past few weeks, said Jason Moniz, veterinary program manager for USDA animal disease control branch.

The first set in August was from Kapaa and turned out to be botulism, he said. The second set was found dead Sept. 10 in Lihue and was reported in The Garden Island. The exact cause of death has not been determined, but they are testing for botulism, Moniz said.

The third set on Sept. 11 was from Kekaha and tests are still being conducted to determine the cause of death.

None have been infectious, Moniz said. Avian flu has been ruled out for all current sets and the stadium birds will be tested for avian flu upon arrival, he said.
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http://thegardenisland.com/news/local/more-dead-chickens-found/article_dbebe588-b8f0-51c3-90b3-068bda3fd001.html

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New cases reported in Kauai?s chicken die-off
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By Catherine Cruz
UPDATED 8:10 PM HST Sep 23, 2015

It's still not certain of what's been causing chickens on Kauai to drop dead, but scientists have confirmed avian flu is not the culprit.

LIHUE, KAUAI ?A dead chicken choked up to road kill is one thing, but to see about a dozen dead and dying chickens near the Vidinha Stadium was unsettling.

"You see them here and there but not like this," said Kapaa resident Joe Bordeaux. "You have four over here and one behind of this truck. I am worried about my dogs. You got dead carcasses around and kids come around here too."
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In the meantime, park users were hoping the county crews would follow up to clear the rotting carcasses, from the area in hopes of containing the exposure to toxins or bacteria.

"Any time you have any type of carcass, you want to make sure that is contained in a manner because that will obviously attract more flies and could continue the cycle, especially if you are dealing with botulism," said state veterinarian Dr. Raquel Wong.
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The mayor?s office said the parks department has noticed an increase in dead chicken in recent weeks and is working to clear them.

It doesn?t have any money in the budget to deal with the feral chicken problem.

http://www.kitv.com/news/new-cases-of-kauais-chicken-dieoff-reported/35453594