US ducks negative for pathogenic AI
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Department of the Interior (DOI) said final test results confirm that an H5N1 avian influenza virus detected in fecal samples collected last month from resident wild mallard ducks in Maryland was a low pathogenic strain.
Low-pathogenic strains of avian influenza commonly occur in wild birds and typically cause only minor illness, or no noticeable signs of disease in birds.
“This strain has been detected several times in wild birds in North America and poses no threat to human health,†USDA reports in a news release. More than 21,000 wild birds have been tested so far this year and none have been infected with highly-pathogenic avian influenza.
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