The S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Department has once again successfully completed its collection of samples from migratory birds as part of an ongoing check for the highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu.

“This year’s testing is complete thanks to the combined efforts of department staff and volunteer hunters,” said GFP Senior Waterfowl Biologist Spencer Vaa of Brookings. “Thanks to those efforts, we sent 750 samples to be tested at the SDSU Diagnostic Laboratory.”

While testing on the samples is not complete, Vaa noted that so far no birds have tested positive for the highly pathogenic bird flu that has caused worldwide concern. Active surveillance efforts in most states and Canadian provinces have yet to reveal a positive test for the highly pathogenic bird flu.

In South Dakota, samples are sent to the diagnostic lab at South Dakota State University at Brookings which has a contract with the U.S. Agriculture Department’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to conduct preliminary avian influenza testing.

“This year GFP was directed to focus its efforts on ‘dabbling’ ducks that gather in shallow wetlands,” Vaa said. “While many species were sent in for testing, the greatest emphasis was on mallards, northern pintails and blue-winged teal.”

Bird samples were collected during duck banding operations in July, August and September and then hunter-harvested birds were used from across the state for testing in September, October and November during the waterfowl hunting season.

While testing efforts have not yet turned up a strain of the highly pathogenic bird flu virus in South Dakota or anywhere else in North America, hunters and others who handle wild birds are advised to follow a few safety precautions. Those precautions include:

• Do not handle or harvest game birds that are obviously sick.
• Use rubber or latex gloves when cleaning birds.
• Wash hands and cleaning utensils thoroughly.
• Cook birds to a minimum of 165 degrees F.

PIERRE, S.D. - Waterfowl hunters have started to play an integral role in the state’s efforts to check birds for avian influenza.
The South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, and Parks is now using hunter-harvested waterfowl for the early detection of the highly pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 virus otherwise known as bird flu. To date, no waterfowl or migratory shorebirds in North America have tested positive for the virus.
From late July to mid-September, GFP sent 565 waterfowl and shorebird samples to the South Dakota State University diagnostic laboratory for testing. These birds were captured during banding operations and released unharmed.
Now the emphasis has shifted to using hunter-harvested waterfowl, according to GFP Senior Waterfowl Biologist Spencer Vaa, Brookings. After the Sept. 23-24 opening weekend of duck hunting in the Low Plains North and Low Plains Middle zones, another 71 samples were sent in for testing.
GFP is working with selected hunters throughout the state to obtain the waterfowl samples. Species targeted for sampling during the fall migration include the northern pintail, tundra swan, sandhill crane, mallard, green-winged teal, wigeon, northern shoveler, gadwall, lesser scaup, bufflehead and common goldeneye.
“All of these species have a connection with Asia or mingle with species that do,” said Vaa. “Scientists believe the most likely avenue of approach of the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus making its way to North America is through Asia and Alaska.”
GFP expects to submit a minimum of 1,000 samples for testing by Dec. 31, 2006. The state effort is part of a larger surveillance project that encompasses the entire Central Flyway.
More information is available through a avian bird flu brochure available at Game, Fish and Parks offices. It can also be downloaded from the GFP Web site at http://www.sdgfp.info/.

and Department of the Interior today announced a detection of the H5 and N1 avian influenza subtypes in samples from wild, migratory Green-winged Teals in Illinois. Initial tests confirm that these wild duck samples do not contain the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain that has spread through birds in Asia, Europe and Africa. These samples were collected from apparently healthy birds and initial test results indicate the presence of low pathogenic avian influenza virus, which poses no threat to human health.
The bird samples were collected on Sept. 24 in the Rice Lake Conservation Area of Fulton County, Illinois, through a partnership between USDA and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources as part of an expanded wild bird monitoring program. USDA and DOI are working collaboratively with states to sample wild birds throughout the U.S. for the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza . As a result of this expanded testing program, USDA and DOI expect to identify additional cases of common strains of avian influenza in birds, which is not cause for concern.
The ducks were showing no sign of sickness, which also suggests this is LPAI. Eleven samples were collected directly from the ducks. Of those samples, a pool of five samples tested positive for H5 and were sent to USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa, for confirmatory testing. One of the five samples screened by NVSL tested positive for both H5 and N1. However, this does not mean these ducks are infected with an H5N1 strain. It is possible that there could be two separate avian influenza viruses, one containing H5 and the other containing N1. Confirmatory testing underway at NVSL will clarify whether one or more strains of the virus are present, the specific subtype, as well as confirm the pathogenicity. These results are expected within two to three weeks and will be made public when completed.
Low pathogenic avian influenza commonly occurs in wild birds and can be found in a number of duck populations including the Green-winged Teal. It typically causes only minor sickness or no noticeable symptoms in birds. These strains of the virus include LPAI H5N1, commonly referred to as “North American” H5N1, which is very different from the more severe HPAI H5N1 circulating overseas.
Duck populations, including Green-winged Teal, are commonly hunted. There is no known health risk to hunters or hunting dogs from contact with low pathogenic forms of avian influenza virus. Nevertheless, hunters are always encouraged to use common sense sanitation practices, such as hand washing and thorough cooking, when handling or preparing wildlife of any kind. DOI has issued guidelines for safe handling and preparation of wild game.
For more information about USDA’s efforts and research related to avian influenza, go to http://www.usda.gov/birdflu. For more information about Interior’s efforts and hunter education program, go to http://www.doi.gov/issues/avianflu.html. For information about the federal government’s overall efforts related to avian influenza and human pandemic preparedness, go to http://www.avianflu.gov.

BRUNSWICK, Ga. - The Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division will begin collecting samples from migratory shorebirds this week as part of a collaborative effort to test for highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza. Federal and state biologists will be capturing and sampling birds in every state as part of the interagency strategic plan between the U.S. Department of Agriculture , the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of the Interior for the early detection of highly pathogenic H5N1 in wild birds.
Two migratory shorebird species, red knots and sanderlings, will be targeted for the first round of sampling. Two additional species, dunlin and ruddy turnstones, will be tested during the winter when they are more commonly present on the Georgia coast.
“These four species in Georgia have been prioritized because their travels take them to nesting grounds in the upper Arctic regions above the Hudson Bay in Canada,” said Brad Winn, program manager for the WRD Coastal Nongame Program. “There is a potential that they could cross paths with migrant species from Alaska or Iceland, so it is important that we monitor for the presence of highly pathogenic avian flu.”
The monitoring is strictly precautionary - the highly pathogenic avian influenza strain of H5N1 present in Asia, Africa and Europe has never been found in the United States. This virus has caused some cases of human illness and death in other countries where people have handled or been in close contact with infected birds.
WRD biologists will partner with employees from the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study. They will capture birds using a method called cannon netting, launching a net over a roosting flock. Biologists will take a swab from the captured birds and release them unharmed. Swabs will be placed into chilled vials and sent to a USDA laboratory for testing.
In all, WRD will sample 200 individuals from each of the four shorebird species. Biologists will make the most of the opportunity for research purposes as well, banding some of the birds and taking feathers from some to study their genetics and diet.
The testing of wild birds extends to waterfowl as well. During routine banding operations to date, WRD biologists have tested 50 wood ducks, two wild mallards, and 18 mottled ducks with no positive results from these tests. These efforts are ongoing through fall and winter.
Sampling of hunter-harvested ducks will take place during waterfowl season.
Across the U.S., biologists and field specialists with USDA’s wildlife services program are teaming up with state biologists to collect approximately 50,000 to 75,000 bird samples along with 50,000 environmental samples throughout the lower 48 states and Hawaii. This effort is in addition to the sampling currently taking place in Alaska.
Like humans, birds have naturally occurring flu viruses. Historically, wild birds have been natural reservoirs for low pathogenic avian influenza viruses and often show little or no signs of disease. Various forms of low pathogenic avian influenza have existed in the United States since the early 1900s. They can cause varying degrees of illness in birds and have not posed a public health threat. If a virus mutates or mixes with another avian influenza virus it can become highly pathogenic, causing higher fatality rates in birds.
Other forms of highly pathogenic avian influenza have been detected in domestic poultry three times in this country: in 1924, 1983 and 2004.
The 2004 outbreak was confined to one flock and eradicated. There were no human illnesses reported in connection with these outbreaks.
Additional information about avian flu and security relating to domestic poultry, wild bird monitoring and research, as well as pandemic planning nationwide is available at the U.S. government’s comprehensive Web site for pandemic preparedness at www.avianflu.gov or www.usda.gov/birdflu.