First case of bird flu found in alpacas reported in US

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

The small group of alpacas, which are members of the camel family, tested positive for the highly pathogenic virus after a poultry flock on the same farm became infected, as reported by the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy.

The USDA mentioned that the positive test results for the alpacas were not unexpected since the livestock on the southern Idaho farm share a habitat.

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

It’s not unusual for mammals like alpacas to contract the virus. According to the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service avian flu data, cases have been detected in domestic cats, red foxes, opossums, raccoons, and bobcats within the last month.

The Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) confirmed that the risk for humans contracting the virus remains low. Only three confirmed cases of bird flu infecting humans have been reported in the U.S. since 2022, with two cases reported this year involving farmworkers exposed to infected dairy cows.

As of May 2, almost every state has experienced a poultry livestock outbreak of the virus, affecting over 92 million birds. Experts have warned that the ongoing outbreak could impact egg and chicken supplies.

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

Since the first cases of bird flu were detected in dairy cows back in March, the USDA has introduced several new regulations as a precaution, including mandatory testing for dairy cows that are moved between states, and preventing milk from sick cows from entering the market, even though pasteurization has ensured the safety of the milk supply according to the Food and Drug Administration.

Although no cases have been reported in beef cattle, the USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service tested samples of ground beef sold at grocery stores for the presence of avian flu and found negative results.

The agency also examined tissue and muscle samples from cull dairy cows, which are sent to slaughter for various reasons, at its mandated facility. Out of the 96 samples tested, only one contained viral particles, confirming that the food safety system is effective.