Texas Finds Bird Flu in a Poultry Farm

Feb. 20, 2004
By Randy Fabi

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Bird flu virus was found at a chicken farm in Texas, the fourth U.S. state to be affected by a mild strain of the disease that is not harmful to humans but is devastating to poultry producers, state officials said on Friday.

The Texas Animal Health Commission quarantined a flock of chickens in Gonzales County after the birds tested positive for the H5N2 strain of avian influenza, a mild version of the deadly disease that has killed at least 22 people in Asia.

Texas officials emphasized that the strain of bird flu in the flock near San Antonio was not the same kind as the Asian outbreak caused by the H5N1 strain.

The Texas infection posed "no health threat to humans and causes relatively low mortality in chickens," said Texas state veterinarian Bob Hillman. "The clinical manifestation, or signs of disease in chickens, indicates this virus is a low-pathogenic strain."

Industry officials said the infected Texas farm sold chickens to live poultry markets in Houston.

Bird flu can be rapidly spread by farm equipment, feed delivery trucks, shoes and clothing, and the wind. Texas ranked No. 6 in U.S. chicken production in 2002 with 2.88 billion pounds (1.3 billion kg), according to industry figures.

Some 30 countries have banned imports of some or all U.S. poultry since the discovery of a similar mild strain of bird flu in Delaware two weeks ago. Another case was found at a large poultry farm in Pennsylvania, and the infection also surfaced in New Jersey ethnic markets that sell live chickens.


BANNING CHICKENS

On Thursday, Canada discovered a mild strain of bird flu in a chicken farm in British Columbia.

Russia, the top U.S. poultry buyer, early Friday issued a temporary ban on Texas chickens even before the bird flu infection was publicly announced.

There was no sign that the Texas infection came from diseased birds in Delaware, Pennsylvania or New Jersey.

"At present, there does not appear to be any connection between the cases on the East Coast and the infected flock in Texas," Hillman said.

Farmers fear the disease because sick birds produce fewer eggs, which are often misshapen or soft-shelled. The virus, commonly found in ducks and other migratory birds, is spread through the birds' feces or mouth secretions.

Despite the discovery of bird flu in four states in two weeks, U.S. industry officials remained confident the virus would be contained quickly. "This will have a minimal impact, if any," said Richard Lobb, spokesman for the National Chicken Council.

Scientists are alarmed at the Asian outbreak, which indicates the deadly strain of bird flu can spread as easily between species as it has between countries. Two domestic cats in Thailand died of the same disease.

The United States has not had a highly pathogenic strain of bird flu, as the one in Asia, for 20 years, according to the U.S. Agriculture Department.

Bird flu, like the human version, has multiple strains that vary in seriousness. Mild bird flu has popped up in many U.S. states for years. "Therefore, it is not a disease we can expect to totally eradicate," the USDA said.

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