From the State Vet's Office

AVIAN INFLUENZA DETECTED IN WILD BIRDS

A BLIP ON THE RADAR, OR POULTRY APOCALYPSE?

BY DR. TONY FRAZIER

One interesting aspect about writing articles for periodicals is that there is at least some time lapse between the time I write the article and the time you are reading it. This can be especially interesting with the changing dynamics that go along with animal diseases. I do appreciate lots of things about writing for this periodical. I am able to go into some detail with my articles so that if you read them, you will be the most informed person in your Sunday school class or school committee or at Tupperware parties when subjects like blister beetles in horse hay, antibiotic use in food animals or chronic wasting disease come up in conversation. So, as I sit at my desk today and write this article about what we know about the highly pathogenic bird flu virus that has been found in some wild waterfowl in the United States, things could change before you get your copy of Cooperative Farming News. It could have only been a blip on the radar screen. Or it could be the apocalypse for the poultry industry. Or it could be anything in between. I am hoping for a blip on the radar screen.

In mid-January, my office was informed that USDA had confirmed highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus in two waterfowl in South Carolina. One of the things that government animal health officials do a lot of is surveillance for animal diseases. You often hear me say, detect it quickly, deal with it quickly and then recover and move on. That doesn’t mean that dealing with it and recovering are quick and painless. However, the quicker we detect disease, it should at least be less painful andminimize the damage.

There is certainly reason for concern with this strain of the avian influenza virus. I have written articles in the past about avian influenza. I usually mention that all flu viruses have a first name and a last name. Their first name will be H followed by a number and their last name will be N followed by a number. If the virus’s first name is either H5 or H7, they could potentially be highly pathogenic. There are both highly pathogenic and low pathogenic avian influenza viruses. If you haven’t already figured it out the low pathogenic strains cause a mild illness in the birds which may result in decreased egg production or just a few days of doing poorly. The low path strain can sometimes mutate as it infects birds to become the high path strain. The highly pathogenic strains of the virus can result in mortality rates that approach 100% in poultry. In this case H5N1 strain found in the birds in South Carolina is a strain that is already classified as highly pathogenic.

The reservoir for the virus is wild waterfowl and it must be noted that ducks are usually carriers, and the virus does not make them sick. However, they shed the virus in their excretions such as feces. This makes biosecurity not just important but essential. Some viruses require close contact between animals to spread and cause disease. If a virus requires close contact to be spread, then social distancing should be adequate. The influenza virus can be carried on clothes, shoes, equipment and other objects.

When I was in practice, I would occasionally see some small dog that I am fairly sure never saw another dog. In fact, the owners often told me that their dog didn’t even know it was a dog because it never saw other dogs. Yet that little fellow would come in with parvo that had apparently been tracked into the house or yard by humans. So, when we consider the spread of the avian influenza virus, we must consider how important biosecurity is. While it may be a little inconvenient, you should never come from the feed store or anywhere else where people congregate and go straight to your chickens. It is essential to have a pair of shoes that are dedicated to just going to our poultry pens or chicken houses. It’s like when I was a little kid and my mother would say, “Tony, get that penny out of your mouth. You don’t know where that has been.” Well, I’m saying for you to change your shoes. You don’t know what kind of virus you’ve been walking in. The simple act of changing shoes could go a long way toward not spreading avian influenza.

Other elements of a biosecurity plan should include restricting outside visitors to your poultry and keeping purchased additions to your flock separate for a period of time before introducing them to the main flock. It is also a good idea that, as much as possible, wild ducks do not have access to areas where chickens or turkeys are raised. The use of disinfectant foot baths and coveralls are also good ideas as part of a biosecurity plan. Also, if you are someone who frequents trade days or other venues where poultry congregate, it may be a good idea to either back away from that for a while or at least practice strict biosecurity when you return to the farm.

Commercial poultry companies have been very active in surveillance for avian influenza since around 2005. I want to make sure that backyard and non-commercial poultry producers are aware that if you have any signs of illness in your birds to contact your veterinarian or my office at 334-240-7253. And of course, our diagnostic laboratories are always a great source if you have health problems in your flock. Signs of avian influenza include sudden death, lack of energy and appetite, incoordination, purple discoloration of body parts, diarrhea, nasal discharge, coughing, sneezing and decreased egg production. In other words, it may be hard to distinguish avian influenza from other diseases. So, if you have questions, do not hesitate to call somebody. Remember, the earlier we detect an outbreak, the quicker we can deal with it.