# 965
Not in itself terribly alarming, but low pathogenic strains have a nasty habit of becoming highly pathogenic strains of the virus.
Virginia Farm Could Have Avian Flu Cases
July 9, 2007 08:52 AM
HARRISONBURG, Va. (AP) - More than 50,000 turkeys on an unidentified farm west of Mount Jackson tested positive for avian flu antibodies.
Virginia Poultry Federation president Hobey Bauhan says the turkeys were ready to be sent to the slaughterhouse and tested positive on Friday in a routine test for antibodies of low pathogenic avian flu.
On Saturday, the USDA confirmed the presence of antibodies that indicated possible prior exposure to the H-5 viral strain.
Bauhan says a similar strain hit the Shenandoah Valley in 2002, costing farmers $130 million.
Bauhan says this strain is not the severe, highly pathogenic one that has caused widespread flock destruction and some human cases overseas. He says the turkeys that tested positive on Friday were to be killed and composted on-site as soon as possible.
Bauhan says more testing and surveillance will be conducted within a six-mile radius of the farm to prevent the virus from spreading.
He says farmers in the area should abide by strict biosecurity standards.
