Wild Crane Found Infected with HPAI Virus

JAPAN - A wild bird, a crane, has been found dead in the far west of the country. It has been found to be infected with the H5 sub-type of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus.
calendar icon 23 December 2010
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The veterinary authority sent Follow Up REport No. 1 dated 22 December to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).

The report describes the finding of one dead hooded crane at a wildlife sanctuary in Kagoshima prefecture in the far west of the country.

It has been confirmed that the bird was infected with an H5 HPAI virus.

According to the report, it was confirmed on 22 December 2010 that a wild hooded crane (Grus monacha) in Kagoshima prefecture was infected with HPAI. On 18 December 2010, the staff of Izumi city gave protection to an injured crane, which was later died. On 20 December 2010, Kagoshima University confirmed a sample taken from the dead bird was influenza A-positive by antigen-capture kits. On 21 December 2010, Tottori University confirmed by PCR test that the case was due to influenza A virus subtype H5N1. On 22 December 2010, Tottori University affirmed the case as HPAI because the isolate is a closely related strain with the virus isolated from faeces of migratory wild ducks in Hokkaido in October 2010 and the cases occurred in Shimane prefecture in November 2010. Kagoshima prefecture and neighbouring Kumamoto prefecture visited all poultry farms located within 10km around the place where the case was found out and confirmed there was no clinically abnormal poultry in the farms (approximately 5.2 million poultry of 162 farms). Although, as of 22 December 2010, a total of seven dead wild hooded cranes are detected, the causes of death of the other six cranes are inconclusive.

Further Reading

- You can visit the Avian Flu page by clicking here.
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