U Of Minnesota Lab Sees Deluge Of Tests Amid Flu In Turkeys
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Turkey growers across Minnesota are doing all they can to stop the spread of the deadly avian influenza. It's wiped out flocks at nine farms in six different counties since just last month.
On Thursday, it was learned the virus hit the largest operation yet, a Jennie-O-Turkey Store barn in central Minnesota.
To be safe, all of the infected farms put down their turkeys. So far, that total is 683,000 turkeys.
But concern over avian flu isn't just happening on the rural farms of Minnesota, it's also a big concern at the Veterinary Diagnostic Lab at the University of Minnesota.
"We've been very, very, busy," said Liz Wiedenman, a scientist at the lab. "We'll get tracheal swabs in for bird flu samples."
Scientists like Wiedenman determine a flock's fate from a deadly and contagious virus hitting the turkey industry.
"You're not just testing the swab, you're testing a whole flock of probably 15 to 20,000 birds," said Rob Porter, a veterinary pathologist.
Every day researchers test around 100 samples. Science magnifies what the eye can't, through a series of tests, ultimately showing whether a farm is free of the H5N2 virus.
Most samples come back clean, but roughly one percent don't. Over the last three weeks, nine growers heard the dreaded news.
"It was particularly hard when the outbreak first occurred, and no one was expecting this," Porter said. "You feel like you've been sucker punched."
And scientists expect to see more cases before the outbreak ends. One suspected carrier of the virus, wild water fowl, are making their way back to Minnesota after their winter migration.
"I don't think we're in the clear at this point in time," Porter said.
But Thursday's testing brought new hope in the fight against the virus. Researchers went 24 hours without any signs of bird flu.
"The past week has been very difficult because it seems like there was just one after another," Porter said. "So, just one day of not having a new positive flock, it just brings a smile to your faces."
The testing results are helpful to growers with healthy turkeys. Some growers need those test results to get the OK to export their eggs and birds.
Those test results come back within a day.