Pathfinder
Editor, Senior Moderator
- Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus Found in the Central United States
- published on Apr 06, 2015
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus Found in the Central United States
To: Natural Resource/Conservation Managers
From: Dr. Jonathan Sleeman, Center Director, USGS National Wildlife Health Center
Date: March 27, 2015
In response to recent detections of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses in wild birds and poultry in the western United States and Canada, the USGS National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) continues to work closely with the U.S. Department of Agriculture APHIS Wildlife Services, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and state wildlife agencies to implement enhanced mortality investigations and surveillance in wild birds (for background, see NWHC bulletins on Detection of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Viruses H5N2 and H5N8 in Wild Birds of the United States and Detection of Novel Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Viruses in Wild Birds).
In early March 2015, HPAI H5N2 virus was confirmed at a commercial turkey facility in Minnesota, followed about one week later by detections of the same virus in turkey facilities in Missouri and Arkansas. HPAI H5N2 virus was subsequently confirmed in a mixed backyard poultry flock in Kansas. A multi-agency epidemiological investigation to characterize the spread of HPAI viruses across the United States is ongoing.
It is important to note that although North American wild ducks have not been reported to exhibit signs of disease when infected with HPAI, a Canada goose confirmed infected with HPAI exhibited neurologic signs. In addition, raptors also appear to be highly vulnerable to HPAI virus infection. For example, several captive falcons that were apparently fed meat from HPAI-infected game became ill and died rapidly. Various other raptor species have also died following infection with HPAI, including two red-tailed hawks, a bald eagle, peregrine falcon, and Cooper?s hawk. Testing of various tissues from these raptors has identified HPAI infection as causing or contributing to their deaths.
State and federal authorities with regulatory oversight of wildlife rehabilitators, wildlife exhibitors, and falconers may wish to consider contacting permit holders to caution them against feeding wild game, especially wild waterfowl, to their raptors and other captive wildlife. Authorities may also wish to encourage implementation of biosecurity practices to eliminate contact between captive and wild birds and to be alert for raptors and other avian species showing neurologic signs of disease, as this may indicate potential infection with HPAI. Birds showing neurological signs or acute changes in behavior should be immediately isolated from other birds. In addition, wildlife biologists and agency staff should exercise careful field hygiene (e.g., hand washing and disinfection of equipment and clothing) after visiting wetlands or when handling waterfowl or their tissues or parts.
For an up-to-date summary of results from combined federal and state agency HPAI virus surveillance in wild birds, view this multiple agency table: Wild bird HPAI cases in the U.S. For surveillance results for HPAI in poultry and captive wild birds, view this USDA APHIS table: Update on Avian Influenza Findings.
The NWHC is continuing to monitor for HPAI viruses by testing sick and dead birds. In an effort to maximize early detection of HPAI and to understand the spatial extent and species involvement of HPAI in North America, wildlife managers should remain vigilant for wild bird morbidity and mortality events and continue to contact us to discuss submission and testing of carcasses from events that meet the criteria described below. Avian influenza testing may be performed in cases that fall outside these criteria if warranted based on field history or necropsy findings. Note that the following is not an all-inclusive list of cases accepted by NWHC (see NWHC Submission Guidelines).
...
http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/publicatio...lletins/WHB_2015-03_HPAI_Central_US_Final.pdf