Three Montana Grizzly Bears Euthanized Last Fall Tested Positive for Avian Flu - The New York Times

U.S.|Three Montana Grizzly Bears Euthanized Last Fall Tested Positive for Avian Flu

Three young grizzly bears successful Montana that were euthanized past autumn aboriginal tested affirmative for the highly contagious avian influenza, the state’s Fish, Wildlife and Parks work announced this week, fueling fears that the microorganism that has killed millions of poultry successful the past twelvemonth is rapidly spreading to different carnal groups.

The bears were disoriented, had begun to spell unsighted and were euthanized arsenic a effect of their mediocre condition, the parks work said successful a quality merchandise connected Tuesday. They tested affirmative for the microorganism successful January, said Dr. Jennifer Ramsey, the veterinarian for Fish, Wildlife and Parks. She said the bears had astir apt contracted the microorganism from consuming diseased birds with precocious levels of the virus.

The outbreak of the existent strain of the vertebrate flu known arsenic H5N1 is “the largest overseas carnal illness outbreak successful U.S. history,” according to a spokesperson for the U.S. Agriculture Department. It has infected astir 60 cardinal commercialized and backyard flocks of birds successful 47 states, and its adjacent ubiquity has driven up poultry prices and caused ovum shortages successful supermarkets crossed the country, arsenic consumers jostle for cartons topping $7 oregon more.

Most of the infections are recovered successful chaotic birds, and immoderate of those dispersed to different animals that prey connected them. The Agriculture Department has recorded avian flu infections successful 110 mammals since May 2022, including raccoons, foxes and skunks. The grizzly bears’ affirmative tests people the archetypal clip that Montana has recorded vertebrate flu successful a mammal species.

“It’s disappointing,” Dr. Ramsey said successful an interview. “I deliberation successful the outpouring we had a truly precocious highest of chaotic vertebrate mortality and we each had a anticipation that this happening would benignant of slice retired implicit the summer, and past we wouldn’t person a batch of cases this winter. But that hasn’t been the case.”

Vaccines against the vertebrate flu beryllium but are not yet wide disposable for the H5N1 strain successful the United States. Only a fistful of cases person been recorded successful humans. Dr. Ramsey said she recommended that humans support their pets distant from dormant birds and deterioration gloves erstwhile handling immoderate dormant wildlife.

Wild vertebrate populations thin to migrate crossed hundreds of miles and are often asymptomatic erstwhile infected, making it hard for wildlife experts to way and incorporate the virus. Should it proceed to dispersed during the outpouring and summertime erstwhile temperatures lukewarm and mammals look from hibernation, infectious illness experts say, the microorganism is apt to go much wide among different carnal groups, including mammals and aquatic animals.

Still, the grade of corruption successful birds is capable origin for interest for the experts tracking its spread.

“We person not had this microorganism successful our portion of the satellite connected this standard before,” said Richard Webby, a manager successful the Department of Infectious Diseases astatine St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. “In the satellite of flu, this is simply a beauteous large event.”