Diversas fuentes de noticias hablan de diversos brotes por IA en Francia (15 hasta la fecha) y causados por tres cepas diferente lo que fuera calificado de inusual. Este suele ser el periodo del año donde aumenta el numero de casos, asociados a las migraciones de las aves acuáticas como principal reservorio.

Otros reportes procedentes de Bulgaria destacan lo que laman virus silentes por el hallazgo de diversos serotipos de baja patogenicidad circulando en aves usadas para producir hígado graso.

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Avian flu spreads in France as official downplays risk

Filed Under: 

Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)

Jim Wappes | Editorial Director | CIDRAP News

Dec 11, 2015

Lawrence Wright /

A new region of France has now been hit with highly pathogenic avian flu, as the head of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) says he doesn't expect a US-type outbreak because of different farming methods and lower virus virulence, according to media reports.

The OIE, meanwhile, has posted details on three of the country's outbreaks, as well as on another outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N6 avian flu in Vietnam.

H5N9 in new region

The new outbreak in France, reported today by Reuters, occurred on a duck farm in the Pyrenees-Atlantiques department in Aquitaine region, the first time that region has had an outbreak this year. Other regions affected by the 13 outbreaks of high-path avian flu strains are Dordogne, Landes, Haute-Vienne, and Gers, all in southwestern France.

The farm houses 1,500 ducks, and H5N9 was confirmed as the strain, marking the third outbreak involving that strain. Before this fall's outbreak, France had not seen an avian flu outbreak in poultry in 8 years. In addition to H5N9, which until this month had never before been detected in Europe, H5N1 and H5N2 strains have also been confirmed.

France is Europe's top agricultural nation, and the impact of the virus has come at a crucial time for the country's foie gras producers. Demand for the delicacy typically peaks during the year-end holiday season. The country is facing restrictions of its poultry products and live birds from its trading partners, including Japan, France's largest foie gras importer, Reuters noted.

OIE head: Outbreak unlikely to rival US's

The surge in avian flu outbreaks in France is unusual—especially given that it involves three strains—but it is unlikely to turn into a crisis like that seen in the United States earlier this year, when almost 50,000,000 poultry became infected, OIE Director-General Bernard Vallat, DVM, told Reuters yesterday.

"We are not in a situation like the one in the United States because the breeding methods are different and the strains less virulent," Vallat said.

"Poultry farming in the departments hit is extremely active, notably for foie gras, but finally it did not spread that fast unlike other situations we have known where there were a lot of outbreaks," he said, referring to the US situation.

Vallat also noted that H5N2 and H5N9 have never been found in humans and that the H5N1 strain found in France is different from the Asian one that has caused hundreds of human cases and deaths in recent years. He also stressed avian flu cannot be transmitted by food.

OIE reports on France

In three separate reports today filed with the OIE, French officials detailed previously reported outbreaks involving H5N9, high-path H5N2, and low-pathogenic H5N2.

The H5N9 outbreak began Nov 18 and involved a farm with 12,600 broiler chickens, 4,000 guinea fowl, 3,500 capons, and 960 ducks in Landes region. Farmers had noticed sudden death in the guinea fowl.

Of 21,060 poultry, 400 died from the virus, and the rest were euthanized to contain the outbreak. It was the second H5N9 report filed by French authorities, 2 days after they confirmed a separate outbreak in the same region.

The high-path H5N2 virus struck a farm in Gers region in an outbreak beginning Nov 27, according to a second OIE report. The virus killed 250 of 8,300 ducks, and the rest were culled. Officials had previously filed reports with the OIE on Dec 2 and Dec 8 involving the same strain in Dordogne region.

The low-path H5N2 outbreak occurred on a farm in Aveyron region and is not included in the list of 13 outbreaks caused by high-path strains. The virus was detected in a flock of 6,120 ducks during routine surveillance. All the birds were destroyed.

France has 2 new avian flu outbreaks; H5N6 noted elsewhere

Filed Under: 

Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)

Jim Wappes | Editorial Director | CIDRAP News

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Dec 14, 2015

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Andew-M-Whitman / Flickr cc

France's agriculture ministry confirmed new outbreaks of H5N1 and H5N2 avian flu today, while reports in recent days by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) noted H5N6 avian flu in Chinese and Vietnamese poultry.

In related news, researchers reported that low-pathogenic avian flu is common among ducks on foie gras farms in Bulgaria. France's foie gras industry has been hit hard by outbreaks of the highly pathogenic versions of H5N1, H5N2, and H5N9.

France's outbreaks rise to 15

The two new outbreaks in France are in the Dordogne and Landes regions, each of which has had several previous outbreaks, according to reports from Reuters and France's Ministry of Agriculture.

The Dordogne outbreak involves a farm of 1,070 ducks in Bosset, where H5N1 has been confirmed, according to a ministry update. The other outbreak involves a 1,700-duck farm in Doazit affected by H5N2.

An analysis by health authorities shows that the H5N1 strain detected in France's first outbreak this year—the first in 8 years—shows that it does not contain genetic markers that would link it to more severe outbreaks in birds and to transmission to humans, Agriculture Minister Stephane Le Foll told Reuters.

"There is no risk of the H5N1 virus for human health, none whatsoever," Le Foll said, adding that the same is true for the H5N2 and H5N9 strains detected in the country.

H5N6 in China, Vietnam

In China, meanwhile, the H5N6 virus struck a peacock farm in Hunan province beginning Dec 7, according to a Dec 11 OIE report. Tests detected the highly pathogenic virus on Dec 11.

The virus caused 486 birds to become sick and killed 381 of them, the report said. The surviving birds in the 5,814-bird flock were euthanized to prevent disease spread. Chinese officials have implemented response measures, according to the report.

In Vietnam, H5N6 killed 500 backyard quails and sickened 1,000 more in a backyard flock of 4,000 quails in Quang Nam province in the central part of the country, officials reported to the OIE yesterday. The remaining 3,500 birds were culled to prevent further cases.

The outbreak started on Dec 4. Vietnam has confirmed a number of H5N6 avian flu this year, most recently on Dec 10.

'Silent' avian flu on duck farms

In research news, US and Bulgarian researchers conducted monthly avian flu surveillance on 63 foie gras duck farms, 52 of which were surveyed during the entire study period of November 2008 through April 2012. They also collected and tested samples from nearby resting areas for wild birds. They published their findings Dec 12 in Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses.

The investigators found that low-pathogenicity avian  flu was common on the farms. They detected low-path H3, H4, and H6 strains monthly and low-path H5 sporadically in the raising populations of younger ducks, and different subtypes—H1, H10, and H11—in the fattening premises (ducks 75 to 100 days old), suggesting different routes of introduction, they said.

Only 6 of 52 farms were free of avian flu viruses for the entire study period, "possibly due to higher biosecurity measures implemented," the authors wrote. No sick birds were reported on any of the farms.

The researchers also noted only a 0.55% prevalence of avian flu in migratory ducks and a 0.53% prevalence in wild geese. The team found no evidence of direct transmission of the virus from wild birds.

The authors concluded, "The 'foie gras' duck farms in Bulgaria are an optimal niche where Eurasian-like [avian flu viruses] are maintained and reassorted unapparent to farmers and veterinarians."

Foie gras is made from the liver of fattened ducks or geese.