#avian-influenza

#avian-influenza

Old Brick Farm, where Larry Doll raises chickens, turkeys and ducks, was fortunate this Thanksgiving season. Doll's small farm west of Detroit had no cases of bird flu, despite an ongoing outbreak that killed more than 2 million U.S. turkeys in the last three months alone. He also avoided another disease, avian metapneumovirus, which causes turkeys to lay fewer eggs.

Americans will likely face higher prices on items for their Thanksgiving dinners this year. Turkey, typically the centerpiece of the Thanksgiving meal, will be one of the biggest sticker shocks for consumers. Wholesale prices for a turkey have jumped 40% from a year ago, according to the Department of Agriculture. Outbreaks of avian influenza, or bird flu, and increased demand have contributed to these higher prices. Those opting for beef instead of turkey should also prepare to pay more.

Avian influenza has felled dozens of poultry flocks across the U.S. this autumnand it has hit turkeys particularly hard. Nearly two million turkeys nationwide have been reported dead or culled because of bird flu since September began. With Thanksgiving just two weeks away, will bird flu threaten gobblers at holiday feasts this year? After an expected summer lull in bird flu infections, the virus has reestablished a foothold.

Since emerging in 1996, highly pathogenic H5N1 viruses of the A/goose/Guangdong lineage have spread globally through enzootic transmission in domestic poultry in Asia and Africa, paired with occasional cross-continental movement by wild birds of the Anseriformes (ducks, geese, swans) and Charadriiformes (shorebirds) orders3,4,5,6,7,8,9. In 2005, introduction of poultry-derived H5N1 viruses into wild birds in China led to viral dispersal across Northern Africa and Asia, establishing new lineages of endemic circulation in poultry10,11.

Karen and her business partner, Dave Bilinski, were watching from the outdoor pens of their farm in the mountains of Canada's West Kootenay. The fate of their flock had been taken up by right-wing media, and had become another front in a spiritual war. An angry group of their supporters, with signs and walkie-talkies, gathered on the property. They'd set up a barricade to slow the cops' advance:

While it remains unclear how big of an impact the outbreaks of bird flu will have on supply and prices, Mr Heydon said there are no concerns over consumers being put off from buying turkeys, leading to a fall in demand as we get closer to Christmas. "We've assured everybody that properly cooked poultry meat and egg products are perfectly safe to eat," he said. "There is the public health advice that if the public see a sick or dead bird, not to handle it, but instead to contact my Department though our regional veterinary offices or our emergency online numbers.

"Due to the increased risk of avian influenza to our poultry, I am taking action to reduce the threat to our industry and to our poultry farmers' livelihoods,"

But the virus is continuing to evolve and spill over to other species, fueling fears of human-to-human transmissions and a possible pandemic.

Welcome to Deep Dish, a weekly roundup of food and entertainment news. Last week we discussed how there might be lead in your protein powder. Grocery behemoth Trader Joe's and jam giant Smucker are beefing right now. The subject of their tiff? PB&Js. More specifically, Smucker is suing Trader Joe's for allegedly copying their trademarked Uncrustables by launching their own Crustless Peanut Butter and Strawberry Jam Sandwiches.

Influenza A viruses are enzootic in wild migratory birds of aquatic habitats around the world7. In wild waterfowl, 17 subtypes of HA (H1-H16, H19) and 9 of neuraminidase (NA, N1-N9), surface glycoproteins of influenza A viruses, have been identified8,9. HA is the receptor-binding and fusion protein of influenza A viruses, and its head domain contains dominant epitopes targeted by antibodies.

San Francisco public health officials said it was first notified of the bird flu in the cat on July 17, after it showed "respiratory and neurologic symptoms." A local vet tested the cat for influenza A, which came back positive. The California Department of Public Health confirmed the infection on July 31. SFDPH said there are no additional suspected or confirmed cases in San Francisco, no evidence of person-to-person transmission and the health risk to the general public remains low.

The Alameda Police Department say they shut down an illegal gambling den being operated inside a home on Tuesday, where they found slot machines, table games like roulette, and drugs. [KTVU] A resident of the tiny town of Chinese Camp, Layne Smith, whose family has lived there for four generations, describes how he saved his home from the wildfire that came through Tuesday night. [KTVU]