Maryland broiler flock tests negative for avian flu

A commercial broiler flock in Wicomico County, Maryland, that was culled as a precautionary measure earlier this month has tested negative for avian influenza.

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Yurii Bukhanovskyi, Bigstock
Yurii Bukhanovskyi, Bigstock

A commercial broiler flock in Wicomico County, Maryland, that was culled as a precautionary measure earlier this month has tested negative for avian influenza.

The flock in question included about 40,000 chickens.

The chickens were initially diagnosed with a common bacterial disease and treated. The flock’s mortality levels eventually returned to normal levels, However, since the avian influenza screening test was at first inconclusive, animal health officials decided to depopulate the flock “out of an abundance of caution.”

For the following two weeks, there was increased testing and surveillance to make sure that there are no other cases of illness in poultry flocks in the area

According to the Maryland Department of Agriculture, additional testing from the USDA National Veterinary Services Laboratory confirmed negative test results for the suspect flock and screening of nearby farms were also all negative.

“We are all relieved by the negative test result, and I am proud of the rapid and collaborative response to this event,” said Maryland Secretary of Agriculture Joe Bartenfelder stated in a press release. “This has demonstrated that our department is prepared to work with federal, state and industry partners to protect the chicken industry, which is a vital part of Delmarva’s economy.”

So far in 2018, there have not been any cases of avian influenza in Maryland, or in the Atlantic Flyway, where the Delmarva peninsula is located.

California, Minnesota avian influenza cases

Low pathogenic avian influenza was recently detected in 4 turkey flocks in Stearns County, Minnesota, and another four flocks in Kandiyohi County, also in Minnesota. In those cases, the virus was of the H5N2 serotype. According to the Minnesota Board of Animal Health, seven of those eight flocks have since tested negative for the virus and have been control marketed. The remaining flock, which is in Kandiyohi County, has been quarantined and is being monitored. The birds are expected to be control marketed once they test negative.

In September and October, five turkey flocks in Stanislaus County, California, were confirmed to have contracted low pathogenic H7N3 avian influenza. In late November, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CADA) stated that those five affected premises are now free of avian influenza, but the agency still cautioned poultry owners to continue to utilize good biosecurity practices to protect their flocks.

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