June 2, 2005

Possible cross-transmission of bird flu virus strain in Canada

Turkeys on a poultry farm in Canada's British Columbia were quarantined after they tested positive for a milder strain of the avian influenza virus. The same H3 virus recently infected a nearby swine farm and the virus is suspected to have come from the swine. This virus has not been known to mutate into the more serious avian influenza as the H7N3 strain did. However, transmission of the H3 influenza strain between swine and turkeys is a threat that has been observed before.

According to a report by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, this case is not related to the avian influenza outbreak in 2004. Latest testing by the British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries have turned up negative for the more serious H5 or H7 virus strains.