Texas bird flu worse than feared

US virus not identical to Asian pathogen

The bird flu strain found on a Texas chicken farm is apparently not as harmless as initially thought, the Environmental News Service reports http://www.enn.com. The pathogens are not identical to the H5N1 strain of the virus, which has claimed 22 lives in Southeast Asia and led to the mass slaughter of chickens.

Ron DeHaven of the US Department of Agriculture has said the virus is not the same strain found in Asia, but admits the virus found in Texas is highly contagious and has already led to other cases in Houston chicken markets. "The virus was discovered on a chicken farm in Gonzales County, about 80 miles east of San Antonio, and is not dangerous to humans," said Nancy Cox of the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, the experts have already revised their opinion about the pathogen in Texas, because when the virus appeared in Texas last Friday, it was classified as "slightly pathogenic" and "not dangerous for humans".

According to DeHaven, the experts had determined the danger to other chickens with the help of genetic tests over the weekend. "This is the first time such highly pathogenic avian influenza strains have emerged in the United States since 1983-84," DeHaven said. Meanwhile, the 6.600 chickens at the Texas farm have been slaughtered. Authorities are now trying to locate previously sold chickens that were sold through the Houston Poultry Market. According to the authorities, two more cases have already become known.

The two other strains of bird flu that have become known from the two US states of Delaware and Pennsylvania are also not identical to the Southeast Asian virus, explained DeHaven. There is also no connection between the three cases, the expert explained.

Source: San Antonio [ pte ]