H5N8 bird flu strain found in backyard poultry flock in Indiana -USDA

May 11, 2015 3:25 PM

CHICAGO, May 11 (Reuters) - The highly pathogenic H5N8 strain of bird flu has been confirmed in a backyard poultry flock in Indiana, marking the first time the strain has appeared in the state, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a statement Monday.

The strain is the same one that had been previously confirmed in the Pacific flyway, specifically in commercial chicken and turkey farms in California and a backyard poultry flock in Oregon, as well as in captive falcons in Idaho and Washington, according to the agency. A different strain of the H5 virus, H5N2, has been spreading rapidly across the Midwest and resulted in nearly 30 million birds either dying or being killed due to the outbreak. (Reporting By P.J. Huffstutter; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)