As bird flu hits US poultry farmers, experts ask: What has changed?

worst occurrence of bird-flu As the United States scrambles to contain the virus, egg shortages are already driving up some food prices.

Approximately 58 million birds cleared from commercial and backyard flocks According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, since February last year, the United States has Animal and Plant Quarantine Station.

Experts say the virus, known as highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), appears to be more prevalent in wild birds now than during previous outbreaks, making it difficult to contain and a potential for future infections. And while the risk of spreading the virus to humans remains low, scientists say communities will feel the consequences of such a severe and prolonged outbreak in the coming months.

“At the moment, this is the largest animal emergency the USDA has faced in the country,” said Gino Lorenzoni, an assistant professor of poultry science and avian health at Pennsylvania State University.

Lorenzoni said more than 40 million egg-laying hens have been culled in the United States alone, sending egg prices skyrocketing nationwide.A few months ago, the “bird flu” outbreak pushed the price of turkey meat to a record high.

Viruses can bring commercial poultry farms out of business for extended periods of time.

“They need to remove dead birds, disinfect facilities, and bring in new birds,” said Kevin Snekvik, executive director of Washington State University’s Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory. “That’s when egg production takes a hit.”

Efforts are underway to prevent infection in commercial and backyard flocks, but the outbreak has been difficult to slow as the virus appears to gain a foothold in wild bird species.Veterinary medicine.

As these birds crisscross continents and oceans, they can carry the virus.

“This is how the virus spreads around the world, from Asia to Europe to North America,” he said.

Poultry can become infected through direct exposure to wild birds, but they are more likely to become infected through faeces that contaminate the ground around farms and gardens.

When that happens, it usually requires culling the entire herd.

“The virus spreads so quickly in the flock that even if the birds don’t look sick, they eventually die very quickly,” says Lorenzoni. “The best way to stop the spread of disease is to eliminate all birds that have been in close contact with infected birds.”

Bird flu surveillance and prevention has improved since the last outbreak in 2015, which killed about 50 million birds in six months, Lorenzoni said.of USDA’s “Defend the Flock Program” For example, it contains information on biosecurity measures and how to spot signs of illness.

Still, the scale of the outbreak is straining the Institute of Animal Health. Suresh Kuchipudi, interim director of the Animal Diagnostics Laboratory at Penn State University, said his three animal testing laboratories in Pennsylvania process thousands of samples each week. His lab runs primarily seven days a week.

“Spreads are much more complex than normal forecasts,” said Kuchipudi. “Nothing like this has ever happened before. The question is, what has changed?”

The spread of the virus in the wild presents new challenges to its containment. Many migratory birds are not infected with bird flu, so it’s unclear how widespread it is in the wild, he added.

Local weather conditions also affect how the virus spreads. For example, the sun can disinfect surfaces naturally, but dark days help virus particles survive on surfaces contaminated with infected bird droppings, he said.

And if the infection lingers into the spring, new waves of bird migration will begin, which can make it even more difficult to prevent.

There are also concerns that as the virus continues to spread, it may mutate and infect other animals. Although experts say the virus rarely infects humans, HPAI has been detected in mammals such as skunks, raccoons, harbor seals, red foxes and bears. According to USDA.

If allowed to spread freely, pathogens can evolve in ways that become more devastating or difficult to control.

“Viruses are single-minded. They need to replicate and replicate,” he said. “With all these duplications, different changes can accumulate. That’s why I’m here.”