BREATHITT DIAGNOSTIC ROUNDS (CONT.)
Te BVC is part of a nation- al surveillance program initi- ated by the National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN). Te purpose of NAHLN is to create a network of animal disease diagnostic lab- oratories with the capacity and capability to quickly respond to disease events. Te BVC, along with 55 other NAHLN labo- ratories, performs polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays to detect the presence or absence of influenza type A viruses as well as subtypes H5 and H7. Tese assays are performed on a representative set of birds pres- ent in each house on a farm or commercial site. If the BVC de- tects a positive or non-negative sample, the sample is forwarded to the National Veterinary Ser- vices Laboratory (NVSL) in
Figure 2: USGS mapping of HPAI cases across North America in 2021/2022. [Source 5]
Figure 3: HPAI flowsheet. *All birds on premises with HPAI positives must be destroyed. Te carcass management process is overseen by APHIS and the USDA. Te preferred destruction method is to cull, compost, and dispose in a permitted landfill. Incineration is an alternative option. [Source 6]
Ames, Iowa. If NVSL confirms that the sample is positive for type A influenza as well as either subtype H5 or H7, the submitting location is considered to be infected and is placed under quarantine by state and federal authorities. [FIGURE 3]
Once a farm or premise is under quarantine, a 10 kilometer (6.2 mile) circular zone is set up surrounding the site. All birds, non-commercial and commercial, are placed under
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surveillance. Non-commercial sites are contacted by state and federal authorities in a door-to-door system and are asked to notify officials if birds on their sites become sick. Commercial farms in the surveillance zone are tested every five to seven days for a period of 30 days. If birds within the quaran- tine zone are to be transported outside of the zone, they are to be tested and moved within a 24-hour period. Quarantine is lifted after a minimum of 30 days of continuous negative results. Quarantine zones are key tools in combating the spread of dis- ease, as they reduce the risk of transmission via fo- mites and ensure that sites outside of the zone can continue to operate at normal production levels.
Poultry producers should continue to maintain high levels of care and attentiveness with respect to the health of their birds, and the BVC is com- mitted to assisting owners through its expertise in poultry diagnostics. 44.2% of the tests—including
necropsy, AI, culture, fecal, serology, and histopatholo- gy—representing 19% of the total cases processed at the BVC are from avian sources. For non-commercial owners, the BVC developed a “Poultry Tool Box”, which is located on the BVC website [Source 7]. Te Tool Box provides resources to assist in the diagnosis of avian diseases and promotes the importance of biosecurity in non-commer- cial flocks.
Continued on pg. 23
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