Canada. Turkeys catch swine flu at Ontario farm - Healthzone.ca

[Giuseppe]

Canada. Turkeys catch swine flu at Ontario farm - Healthzone.ca

Turkeys catch swine flu at Ontario farm

October 20, 2009
Theresa Boyle
HEALTH REPORTER


The Ontario government is investigating an outbreak of H1N1 influenza at a turkey farm.

The birds have been infected by the H1N1 virus but there has been no transmission to humans, a source confirms.

Cooking destroys the virus, so no one is at risk from consuming turkey, the source says.

The Chief Veterinarian for Ontario, Dr. Deb Stark, and Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Arlene King, are holding a news conference on the issue at 2 pm Tuesday.
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<cite cite="http://www.healthzone.ca/health/article/712918">Turkeys catch swine flu at Ontario farm - Healthzone.ca</cite>

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Canada. Turkeys catch swine flu at Ontario farm - Healthzone.ca

Mmm, a week ago a report said Turkeys were resistant to H1N1v ?


- snip -


Discussion

The data reported here indicate that both 21- and 70-day-old turkeys are resistant to infection with early strains of the human influenza A(H1N1)v virus.

Notwithstanding the high infectious dose and the mutation Arg to Gln in 226 of the HA gene, it was not possible to achieve infection or to detect virus in blood, respiratory and enteric organs or in muscles of experimentally infected birds.

What is surprising is the evidence of seroconversion in a proportion of the infected poults. Since active infection was not achieved, it is likely that the seroconversion is related to the high viral dose administered.

In any case, antibodies were detectable only with the homologous virus, thus indicating that intra-subtypic cross-reactivity was below HI detection limits.

Our findings indicate that unless the human influenza A(H1N1)v virus undergoes substantial changes, the risk that meat turkeys become infected with the virus is negligible. Therefore, there is no reason to be concerned about the animal health or food safety implications of this infection in this species.

http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=128520&highlight=turkeys

http://www.eurosurveillance.org/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleId=19360

 

[Rwilmer]

Re: Canada. Turkeys catch swine flu at Ontario farm - Healthzone.ca

Looks like someone needs to recheck their work on that study, eh Dutchy.

Ont. says no threat to human health after swine flu found on turkey breeding farm
(CP) – 41 minutes ago

TORONTO — Ontario confirmed a swine flu infection in a turkey breeding operation on Tuesday, but the province's health minister said it doesn't pose any threat to humans.

The outbreak affected a breeder's flock of turkeys, which don't go into the food chain and therefore isn't a concern for human health, said Health Minister Deb Matthews. "There is no threat at all to human health on this," she said after question period.

"The concern is that it will spread within the turkey flock."

Matthews couldn't say where the outbreak occurred, saying the province's chief medical officer of health, Dr. Arlene King, will provide more details during a news conference at 2 p.m.

King is expected to address the H1N1 infection along with Ontario's chief veterinarian, Dr. Deb Stark, and health officials are releasing little information before then.

The turkey farm infection in Ontario appears to be the first in Canada and represents the second animal-species infection in the country.

Last April, swine flu appeared in pigs on an Alberta farm and has since been found in other swine herds in the country.

Chile has confirmed cases of swine flu in turkeys as well.

At the time, the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization said the incidents of turkey infection in the South American country didn't pose an immediate threat to humans.

It said turkey meat could still be sold commercially following proper inspections.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5gpWjDYg5nWfstN_eGXQgKLKzz9MA

 

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: Canada. Turkeys catch swine flu at Ontario farm - Healthzone.ca

What that study may "prove" is that natural transmission is sometimes different than experimental transmission.

Note that the virus was passaged in eggs prior to infecting the turkeys - which also may have created subtle changes.

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[Treyfish]

Re: Canada. Turkeys catch swine flu at Ontario farm - Healthzone.ca

Swine flu found in Ont. turkey breeding farm

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A lab technician examines samples while working in the H1N1 laboratory at the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control in Vancouver, B.C. on Friday, Oct. 16, 2009. (Darryl Dyck / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

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The Canadian Press
Date: Tuesday Oct. 20, 2009 1:04 PM ET
<!-- dateline -->TORONTO <!-- /dateline -->? Ontario says it has confirmed a swine flu infection in a turkey breeding operation but the province's health minister says it doesn't pose any threat to human health.
Health Minister Deb Matthews says the outbreak affected a breeder's flock of turkeys, which don't go into the food chain and therefore aren't a concern for humans.
She says the main concern is that the H1N1 infection would spread through the flock, but couldn't say where the outbreak occurred.
The province's chief medical officer of health is set to address the H1N1 infection at a press conference this afternoon, and health officials are releasing little information before then.
Dr. Arlene King will be joined by Ontario's chief veterinarian, Dr. Deb Stark.
The turkey farm infection in Ontario appears to be the first in Canada and represents the second animal-species infection in the country.
Last April, swine flu appeared in pigs on an Alberta farm and has since been found in other swine herds in the country.
Chile has confirmed cases of swine flu in turkeys as well.
At the time, the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization said the incidents of turkey infection in the South American country didn't pose an immediate threat to humans.
It said turkey meat could still be sold commercially following proper inspections.:tiphat:http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNe...020/turkeys_091020/20091020?hub=Health&s_name=

 

[Rwilmer]

Re: Canada. Turkeys catch swine flu at Ontario farm - Healthzone.ca

I know that if someone gets infected with two strains then they can mutate. But can H1N1 also mutate by jumping species barriers like this? I mean like mutate in terms of becoming much more deadly to humans.

 

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: Canada. Turkeys catch swine flu at Ontario farm - Healthzone.ca

I know that if someone gets infected with two strains then they can mutate. But can H1N1 also mutate by jumping species barriers like this? I mean like mutate in terms of becoming much more deadly to humans.

Influenza is known for adapting to it's new host after a species jump, especially if it continues to spread within the new host.

1: Uirusu. 2008 Jun;58(1):69-72. Links

Host adaptation mechanisms of Influenza A viruses.

Shinya K.
Laboratory of Zoonosis, Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe University. shinya@med.kobe-u.ac.jp

Influenza A viruses are a member of Orthomyxoviridae possessing negative-sense, single-stranded, and 8 segmented RNA genomes. These 8 RNA segments encode individual specific viral proteins, and up until now a total of 11 proteins have been identified including alternate open reading frame in one genome. Because of this simplicity, utilization of many host systems is required during the viral infection cycle in a cell. Therefore adaptation to the host cell system is the most important issue for the influenza A virus infection and transmission. Although there are many factors which relate to the host adaptation in the viruses themselves, elucidation of mechanisms about changing viral receptor specificities is one of the most advanced research areas. Because the avian type viral receptor was found in the human lungs, the situation, such as co-existence of avian- and human-derived viral receptors in the human airway, may contribute to the human adaptation of avian derived influenza A viruses.

PMID: 19122391 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19122391

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[Treyfish]

Re: Canada. Turkeys catch swine flu at Ontario farm - Healthzone.ca

H1N1 flu found in turkeys at Ontario facility

October 20, 2009
Turkeys at an Ontario facility are infected with the same strain of the H1N1 influenza virus that has been circulating in humans since April.
The producer has voluntarily quarantined the infected birds, which were found in one barn.
Provincial officials stressed Tuesday that there is no risk to food safety.
The Ministry of Agriculture said in a release that no birds or eggs from the facility have entered the food chain. It also noted proper cooking practices destroy the virus.
Contact with infected livestock is one way to contract the virus, along with human-to-human transmission.
Public health officials are notifying people who may have had contact with turkeys at the facility.
The situation is also being monitored by the ministries of health and labour while they work with the producer and its employees.
?I am satisfied that this flock does not pose any threat to the health of the general public,? Dr. Arlene King, the province?s chief medical officer of health, said in the release. ?In order to protect themselves and the animals they are working with, I strongly advise all poultry and livestock workers to get immunized against the H1N1 flu virus.?:tiphat:http://news.therecord.com/News/Local/article/616438

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Canada. Turkeys catch swine flu at Ontario farm - Healthzone.ca

First time the novel H1N1 virus was reported in Turkeys was in August in Chile:

http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=122186&highlight=chile+swine+flu+turkeys

Strain was found to be identical to the human strain.

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Canada. Turkeys catch swine flu at Ontario farm - Healthzone.ca

H1N1 flu strain found in Canadian turkey flock

20 Oct 2009

Source: Reuters

* Second known H1N1 flu infection of turkeys

* Farm's birds, eggs have not entered food supply

WINNIPEG, Manitoba, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Turkeys in the Canadian province of Ontario have become infected with the H1N1 flu virus, but no birds or eggs from the farm entered the food supply, provincial government officials said on Tuesday.

The infection poses minimal risk to human health, Dr. Arlene King, Ontario's chief medical officer of health, said in a news conference in Toronto.
However, she noted the discovery highlights the need for those who work with farm animals to be vaccinated for both seasonal flu and the pandemic H1N1 flu strain.

The risk of the virus passing between people and animals is that the virus could evolve into a form against which humans have little or no immunity, King said. There is no evidence that the virus has changed, she added.

The discovery in a single Ontario barn by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is the second known incident of turkeys becoming infected with the H1N1 virus, also called swine flu. The first was in a flock in Chile.

The Ontario case comes just over a week after the Canadian Thanksgiving holiday, which traditionally involves a turkey dinner.

Health officials are following up with people who had contact with the infected turkeys. One person with contact had shown flu-like symptoms.

The turkeys' owner has voluntarily agreed to quarantine the infected birds, but they aren't likely to be prematurely slaughtered, said Dr. Deb Stark, Ontario's chief veterinarian.

The outbreak of H1N1 flu among turkeys in Chile was discovered in August. It was also the first case of the virus being found outside humans and pigs [ID:nN20543933].

Earlier this year the strain was found in hog herds in the Western Canadian provinces of Alberta and Manitoba

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N20444317.htm

 

[Treyfish]

Re: Canada. Turkeys catch swine flu at Ontario farm - Healthzone.ca

Ont. health chief says H1N1 outbreak at turkey farm is call for flu shots
(CP) ? 10 minutes ago
TORONTO ? Ontario's top medical official says an outbreak of swine flu among turkeys is a "clarion call" for poultry and livestock workers to get both the seasonal and H1N1 flu shots.
Dr. Arlene King, Ontario's chief medical officer of health, says "the risk to human health from this situation is minimal" after some turkeys tested positive for the H1N1, or swine flu virus.
Provincial officials say the outbreak affected an Ontario breeder's flock of turkeys which were not destined for the food chain.
Dr. Deb Stark, Ontario's chief veterinarian, says the situation likely involved human to bird transmission.
Stark says the flock operator voluntarily quarantined the infected birds and put "movement controls in place."
She says the finding "does not pose a food safety risk."
While officials declined to name the farm, the Turkey Farmers of Canada said on its website that the birds belonged to Hybrid Turkeys, a breeder based in Kitchener, Ont.
The findings will be of keen interest internationally, coming just days after the publication of a study that suggested turkeys are not susceptible to the pandemic virus.
The work, done by researchers in Italy, was published late last week in the online journal Eurosurveillance.
Well-known influenza researcher Dr. Ilaria Capua and colleagues at the OIE collaborating centre for infectious diseases at the human-animal interface in Venice tried to infect turkeys with the new H1N1 virus. The OIE is the acronym used by the Paris-based World Organization for Animal Health.
Turkeys are generally very susceptible to influenza viruses and one would expect to see illness among birds if they became infected with a flu virus, Capua said in an interview Tuesday.
But while her team exposed turkeys to massive doses of H1N1 virus, they saw no evidence of infection in the birds. Nor did they find any evidence of virus in the lungs or tissues of the turkeys.
Capua said teams of researchers in Britain and the U.S. have also tried to experimentally infect turkeys, also without success.
Ontario isn't the first jurisdiction to report finding H1N1 virus in turkeys. Officials in Chile announced in August that they had found the virus in turkey there.
But some leading influenza experts have quietly expressed skepticism about that earlier report, musing whether lab contamination could be responsible for the finding.
Capua said a lot of questions need to be answered about the new discovery in Ontario, including whether the full genetic sequence of the virus has been checked to ensure that it is the pandemic virus and not another H1N1 variant.
"Before we say that this virus can spill into turkeys or into birds, I would really make sure that it's the right virus. And that there's no possible concern about any human error or contamination and that all the internal genes have been sequenced," she said.:tiphat:http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5gUwbn7MbLrHro-VPF34VJATdiaew

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Canada. Turkeys catch swine flu at Ontario farm - Healthzone.ca

Ontario turkeys contract swine flu; H1N1 shots urged for livestock farmers


BY MEAGAN FITZPATRICK, CANWEST NEWS SERVICE

OCTOBER 20, 2009


OTTAWA — Livestock farmers should line up for their flu shots as soon as they are available, Ontario public-health officials emphasized Tuesday after confirming a flock of turkeys at a farm in that province has contracted the H1N1 flu virus.

- snip -

http://www.canada.com/Ontario+turke...ts+urged+livestock+farmers/2124788/story.html