A case of low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) has been confirmed in a commercial turkey flock in Stanislaus County, California.  According to a press release from the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), the affected flock did not show notable signs of avian influenza, but as a part of proactive flock healthcare, the company veterinarian submitted samples to the California Animal Health and Food Safety (CAHFS) laboratory for testing, and the lab diagnosed the samples as presumptive positive for a low pathogenic H7 variant of avian influenza.  The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory confirmed the infection as North American wild bird lineage low pathogenic H7N3 avian influenza.

There were 26,258 turkeys in the flock.  All birds in the flock were depopulated and the carcasses were rendered.  A 10-kilometer protection zone was established, and testing is being done at 10 other commercial properties within that zone.  As of September 17, no flocks on those other 10 farms had tested positive for the virus. This is the first detection of low pathogenic avian influenza in the United States since March.  Stanislaus County was also the location of a highly pathogenic H5N8 avian influenza case in January 2015.