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This is not the same virus that was at the origin of the highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak that caused the deaths of thousands of poultry in the Midwest in 2015.
The disease, known as H5N2 LPAI, was detected during routine surveillance testing of a herd of 10,000 toms of 13-week-old turkeys on October 19th.
This farm includes three other barns with 10,000 birds each, all tested negative.
H5N2 LPAI poses no risk to the public and consumers are not concerned about food safety, said the Board of Animal Health.
The council works with all federal, state, and industry partners to prevent the spread of the disease. Poultry farmers are encouraged to maintain good biosecurity practices in their facilities to isolate their herds from external sources of infection.
Tracheal swab specimens were collected from turkeys and submitted to the Minnesota poultry testing laboratory at Willmar. The tests allowed to identify the virus as being an H5 strain of influenza. The committee quarantined the flock and sent samples to the USDA Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa. The laboratory confirmed the presence of the low pathogenic H5N2 avian influenza virus of North American origin on October 20th.
The committee increased observation of the herd in quarantine, monitoring for signs of disease, and increased surveillance of commercial poultry operations within a radius of about six miles from the positive flock, all of which resulted in negative test results. At present, the affected herd shows no signs of disease or mortality.
The birds will be quarantined until their test for the disease is negative, and then they will be marketed under control.
Turkey farmers and farmers with questions should contact Dr. Linda Glaser, Deputy Executive Director of the Minnesota Animal Health Council, email: [email protected], phone: 651-201-6828.
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