BELTSVILLE, Md. — A number of poultry industry groups are using a less costly method to collect avian influenza virus samples, thanks to USDA scientists.
Avian influenza is a foreign disease that infects poultry and other bird species. Viruses identified as highly pathogenic cause severe disease, killing more than 90 percent of infected birds. Low pathogenic viruses are not as severe, but can cause sickness in birds as well as financial losses.
At the Agricultural Research Service's (ARS) Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory (SEPRL) in Athens, Ga., scientists conduct studies not only to identify various avian influenza virus strains, but also. . .