New case of low pathogenic avian flu in Minnesota

Low pathogenic H5N2 avian influenza has been detected in a second flock of turkeys in Minnesota, the Minnesota Board of Animal Health (MBAH) reported.

Roy Graber Headshot
Low pathogenic avian influenza has been detected in turkeys in Stearns County, Minnesota. | Photo courtesy of Cargill
Low pathogenic avian influenza has been detected in turkeys in Stearns County, Minnesota. | Photo courtesy of Cargill

Low pathogenic H5N2 avian influenza has been detected in a second flock of turkeys in Minnesota, the Minnesota Board of Animal Health (MBAH) reported.

The most recent case was in a flock of 13-week-old turkey hens, MBAH announced in a press release issued on November 1. However, the agency did not report how many hens were affected.

The case comes less than two weeks after another case of low pathogenic H5N2 avian influenza was detected in a flock of turkeys in Kandiyohi County, also in Minnesota. In that case, the virus was found in a barn that housed 10,000 turkeys.

All turkey flocks in Minnesota are tested for influenza before they are moved to market, and this finding was part of the MBAH’s routine testing.

“The board conducts routine influenza surveillance of poultry flocks in Minnesota, and this early detection is an example of how our system is designed to monitor for disease and respond quickly,” Dr. Dale Lauer, director of the Minnesota Poultry Testing Laboratory and assistant director with the MBAH, stated in the press release.

“Much like the recent case in Kandiyohi County, the board, in cooperation with Minnesota’s poultry industry, is going to increase surveillance at poultry farms within 10 kilometers of this site and any other sites linked with common equipment or personnel connections. This is part of the response to look for any additional cases, wherever they may be.”

The affected turkeys in Stearns County have been quarantined and will be tested and monitored until the agency determines the flock is virus-negative and the turkeys can be controlled marketed.

Minnesota is not the only state that has had to deal with low pathogenic avian influenza in recent months. In California, five turkey flocks have been affected, but in each of those cases the virus was of the H7N3 serotype. The last case was confirmed on October 11, according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

Page 1 of 171
Next Page