Cows of several dairy farms in southern states were recently infected by bird flu, according to state and federal agriculture officials.
They are the first known infections of cattle in the United States by avian influenza, which is easily transmissible among birds and often fatal to domestic poultry but has been less lethal to cows, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says.
The department has identified infected cows in four dairy herds in Kansas and Texas, and tests of other herds are pending. Dairy cows in New Mexico have also exhibited symptoms of the illness.
The virus is often transmitted by infected wild birds to animals in the Midwest during the spring and fall migrations. Its potential threat to Iowa cattle is not yet clear.
Birds from that flyway have been shown to sometimes stray into Iowa, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
A ‘mysterious’ cow disease
For weeks there were dairy cows in Texas that were feverish, losing appetites and producing less milk, which was thick and discolored.
“A mysterious disease has been working its way through the Texas panhandle, puzzling the agriculture industry,” Sid Miller, the state’s agriculture commissioner, said this week.
This month, a dead crow in far northeast Iowa was found to be infected.
“It’s a concern,” Maxwell said. “I don’t think it is one of those that we need to do anything radical, but it certainly is something that we need to take every precaution for.”
Mike Naig, Iowa agriculture secretary, said he is awaiting more information about the dairy cattle infections in the southern states and encourages people to quickly report cattle illnesses to the Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship by calling (515) 281-5305.
“Protecting Iowa’s livestock farmers from foreign animal disease has been and will continue to be one of my top priorities as secretary,” Naig said.
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