The Nevada Department of Agriculture (NDA) has detected a second strain of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) – or bird flu – in a herd of dairy cattle.
The agency has quarantined the infected herds and has conducted mandatory testing of the rest of the herd. Consumers are safe to continue eating and drinking dairy products, so long as they’re pasteurized and cooked to appropriate temperatures.
"Ensuring the safety of the industry is our utmost priority, and the NDA is working with industry members," NDA State Veterinarian Peter Rolfe, DVM, said in the news release. "It is critical that animal health biosecurity practices are enhanced to help prevent the spread of disease and protect animal and worker safety."
A new strain of the virus
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) discovered the recent dairy cattle outbreak in Nevada as a result of its ongoing National Milk Testing Strategy.
What’s unique about this infected herd of cattle is the strain of the virus that was detected. Throughout the ongoing bird flu epidemic, most animals and people have been infected with the genotype B3.13. However, these cattle have been infected with genotype D1.1.
This strain of the virus is most common in wild birds, mammals, domestic poultry, and most recently, in humans. It was this strain of the bird flu that was the result of the first infection-related death in Louisiana.
Experts say this strain is likely to produce more severe symptoms – in both animals and humans. The original B3.13 strain was linked with more mild symptoms for both animals and humans infected.
Despite this, the USDA says the overall risk to consumers’ health remains low, and the agency’s strategy to continue its ongoing testing program hasn’t changed.
Nevada is taking steps to stop the spread
In addition to quarantining dairy cattle in the affected counties, the NDA is working with the USDA Wildlife Services to ensure more animals aren’t infected and the outbreak remains contained.
"The challenge with this virus is that it may be spread through contaminated clothing worn and equipment shared between animals, but birds carrying the disease can also infect domestic animals and livestock," NDA Director J.J. Goicoechea, DVM, said in a news release.
"We cannot stress enough how important it is to keep equipment clean, practice good animal health safety practices, and bolster biosecurity measures to prevent the spread of disease."
The NDA is closely monitoring its dairy cattle to detect the virus before the cows start showing symptoms. They’re also working to remove non-native European starlings from the affected counties, as these birds are the source of many infections, and can even contaminate food and water sources for other animals.
"The protection of public and animal health is our utmost priority," Dr. Goicoechea said in the news release.