Low pathogenic avian influenza has been detected in a commercial poultry flock in western Kentucky, federal and state authorities said.
Kentucky State Veterinarian Robert C. Stout said the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa, confirmed the presence of H7N9 low pathogenic avian influenza in samples taken from an operation in Christian County.
The virus exposure at the premises was initially detected by the Murray State University Breathitt Veterinary Center in Hopkinsville while conducting a routine pre-slaughter test last week, according to a press release from the Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA).
Stout said there were no clinical signs of disease in the birds. The affected premises is under quarantine, and the flock of approximately 22,000 hens was depopulated as a precautionary measure.
While the KDA did not identify what type of hens were affected, USDA Chief Veterinary Officer Jack Shere in a USDA Radio News interview said that the birds on the premises were broilers.
“Dr. Stout and his staff have extensive experience and expertise in animal disease control and eradication,” Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles stated. “They have an excellent working relationship with the Kentucky Poultry Federation and the poultry industry. They are uniquely qualified to contain this outbreak so our domestic customers and international trading partners can remain confident in Kentucky poultry.”
The Kentucky Office of the State Veterinarian (OSV) and its partners in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) are conducting surveillance on flocks within a six-mile radius of the index farm, Stout said. The company that operates the farm is conducting additional surveillance testing on other commercial facilities it operates within that area.
Shere added that all commercial poultry operations within a 10-kilometer radius have been tested, with results showing negative for avian influenza. Testing of backyard flocks within that zone are underway.
The OSV, an agency of KDA, works with USDA APHIS, other government agencies, the University of Kentucky Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, the Murray State University Breathitt Veterinary Center, private veterinary practitioners, and producers to prevent and eradicate disease in Kentucky livestock and poultry.
This marks the first case of avian influenza to be reported in Kentucky in 2017. To date, avian flu has been confirmed in three flocks in Tennessee and one in Wisconsin. Alabama has also reported three suspected cases. Earlier in 2017, a wild duck in Montana also tested positive for the virus. Shere said the Kentucky case occurred about 140 miles away from the highly pathogenic avian influenza case earlier reported in Tennessee.
Kentucky’s last confirmed case of avian influenza occurred in April 2015, when a wild duck and a wild goose that were found dead in McCracken County tested positive for H5N2 avian influenza.
Track 2017 avian flu outbreaks in North American poultry
To help poultry growers and producers monitor these outbreaks of avian influenza, WATTAgNet has again created an interactive map tracking cases confirmed by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) in North America in 2017: https://batchgeo.com/map/2017-avian-influenza-outbreaks.
