January 19, 2007

Latest Japan bird flu type highly virulent -test

Tests showed the bird flu outbreak at a poultry farm in south-western Japan last week was due to a highly virulent type within the H5N1 strain of the virus, a farm ministry official said on Thursday (Jan 18).

Earlier tests had shown that the virus had the N1 component, making it distinct from the less lethal H5N2 strain.

However, a biological test done under World Organisation for Animal Health standards was required to determine the strength of the virus, as not all types of the H5N1 strain are equally virulent, the ministry official said.

In the test, eight birds were injected with the virus taken from dead birds at the farm. All died in two days.

Almost 4,000 birds died from the disease at the affected farm, and authorities killed the farm's remaining 8,000 chickens last week.