First case of bird flu in alpacas reported in US

A case of highly pathogenic avian influenza has been detected in alpacas for the first time, as announced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Tuesday.

The small group of alpacas, belonging to the camel family, tested positive for the highly pathogenic virus after a poultry flock on the same farm got infected, according to the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy.

The USDA noted that the positive test results for the alpacas were expected since the livestock on the southern Idaho farm share a habitat.

Officials confirmed that the virus found in the alpacas is of the same genotype as the virus currently infecting dairy cows and poultry in the U.S.

Mammals like alpacas catching the virus is not unusual. Recent cases have been reported in domestic cats, red foxes, opossums, raccoons, and bobcats within the last month.

The risk for humans contracting the virus remains low, according to the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control.

Since 2022, there have only been three confirmed cases of bird flu infecting humans in the U.S., with two reported this year. Both cases were farmworkers exposed to infected dairy cows.

Almost every state has experienced an outbreak of the virus in their poultry livestock as of May 2, affecting over 92 million birds. Experts warn that the ongoing outbreak could impact egg and chicken supplies.

Nine states have reported outbreaks of bird flu in 67 dairy cattle herds. Michigan’s dairy farms have been hit the hardest, with 21 herds testing positive for the virus.

Since the first cases of bird flu in dairy cows in March, the USDA has implemented new regulations as a precaution, including mandatory testing for dairy cows moving between states, and preventing milk from sick cows from entering the market, despite pasteurization ensuring the safety of the milk supply.

While no cases have been reported in beef cattle, the USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service has tested samples of ground beef for avian flu sold in grocery stores, with all tests coming back negative.

The agency also conducted tests on tissue and muscle samples from cull dairy cows, which are sent to slaughter for various reasons. Out of the 96 samples examined, only one contained viral particles, confirming the effectiveness of the food safety system in place.