A juvenile goat in Stevens County, Minnesota has tested positive for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), commonly known as bird flu, making it the first case of bird flu in domestic cattle, sheep, goats, or their relatives in the United States.
The goat was residing on a farm that already had bird flu infected poultry, which led to the Minnesota Board of Animal Health announcing the positive result. Following the discovery, the board quarantined all other species on the premises and is collaborating with the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to investigate the transmission of the virus.
Dr. Brian Hoefs, the state veterinarian, highlighted the significance of the finding, emphasizing the potential risk of the virus infecting other animals on farms with multiple species. However, research has shown that mammals are unlikely to spread HPAI further, acting as dead-end hosts.
The board reassured the public that the risk of infection is minimal, limited to those in direct contact with infected animals. No cases of illness in the U.S. have been reported following contact with mammals carrying the virus. HPAI is a severe disease that requires prompt action due to its contagious nature and fatality rate among chickens, as per the Department of Agriculture.
The owner of the goat had reported unusual deaths among newly kidded goats earlier in the month, prompting further investigation. The goats and poultry on the property had access to the same space, including a shared water source, potentially facilitating the transmission of the virus.
Samples from adult goats tested negative for HPAI, with no additional sick goat kids reported since March. The board noted that animals with weakened immune systems, like the goat kids in this instance, are at a higher risk of contracting the disease. Moreover, there have been no previous reports of natural HPAI infection in goats.
The Minnesota Department of Health has issued recommendations for personal protective equipment and is monitoring the health of individuals in direct contact with the infected goats. Any person showing respiratory or gastrointestinal symptoms after exposure may opt for voluntary testing for avian influenza and other respiratory pathogens.
The USDA has documented over 200 detections of HPAI in mammals across the country since the beginning of the 2022 outbreak, reflecting the ongoing challenges posed by the virus. Further research and monitoring are essential to better understand and contain the spread of bird flu in different animal populations.