Grizzly bears test positive for bird flu in Montana, officials say - CNN

CNN  — 

Three grizzly bears were euthanized successful Montana aft they became sick and tested affirmative for the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus, according to the state’s Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks.

These were the archetypal documented cases of vertebrate flu successful a grizzly successful Montana and the archetypal nationwide for this outbreak of HPAI, according to Dr. Jennifer Ramsey, the department’s wildlife veterinarian.

The juvenile bears were successful 3 abstracted locations successful the occidental portion of the authorities during the fall, the Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks said successful a statement.

The bears “were observed to beryllium successful mediocre information and exhibited disorientation and partial blindness, among different neurological issues,” the connection said. “They were euthanized owed to their sickness and mediocre condition.”

Avian influenza – commonly called vertebrate flu – is simply a people occurring microorganism that spreads rapidly successful birds. There were documented cases of HPAI successful a skunk and a fox successful Montana past year, and the microorganism has been seen successful raccoons, achromatic bears and a coyote successful different states and countries, according to the Montana agency.

“The microorganism is dispersed from 1 vertebrate to another,” Dr. Ramsey told CNN via email. “These mammals apt got infected from consuming carcasses of HPAI infected birds.”

“Fortunately, dissimilar avian cases, mostly tiny numbers of mammal cases person been reported successful North America,” Ramsey said. “For now, we are continuing to trial immoderate bears that show neurologic symptoms oregon for which a origin of decease is unknown.”

While uncovering 3 grizzlies with vertebrate flu successful a abbreviated play of clip whitethorn rise concerns, Ramsey said it whitethorn good beryllium that determination person been much cases that haven’t been detected.

“When wildlife mortalities hap successful specified tiny numbers oregon individuals, and successful taxon similar skunks, foxes and bears that don’t walk a batch of clip successful situations wherever they are highly disposable to the public, they tin beryllium hard to detect,” the wildlife veterinarian said.

“When you get that archetypal detection you thin to commencement looking harder, and you’re much apt to find caller cases,” she said. “When a ample fig of birds are recovered dormant connected a assemblage of water, it gets noticed and reported… erstwhile idiosyncratic sees a dormant skunk, they whitethorn deliberation thing of it and not study it.”

While it’s chartless conscionable however prevalent the microorganism is successful chaotic birds, “we cognize that the microorganism is progressive fundamentally crossed the full authorities owed to the wide organisation of cases of HPAI mortality successful immoderate taxon of chaotic birds,” Ramsey said.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said successful November the state was approaching “a record number of birds affected compared to erstwhile vertebrate flu outbreaks,” with much than 49 cardinal birds successful 46 states dying oregon being killed owed to vulnerability to infected birds.

Human infections with vertebrate flu are uncommon but are possible, “usually aft adjacent interaction with infected birds. The existent hazard to the wide nationalist from vertebrate flu viruses is low,” the CDC says connected its website.

The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks is asking radical to study immoderate birds oregon animals acting “unusual oregon unexplained cases of sickness and/or death.”