First case of H5N1 avian flu found in elephant seals in the US

Sacramento, United States (ANTARA) - Seven elephant seal pups at Año Nuevo State Park, California, have tested positive for the highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1, marking the first case of bird flu in marine mammals in the state and the first detection in northern elephant seals, scientists said.

The discovery occurred after a research team led by Roxanne Beltran, a professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California (UC) Santa Cruz, observed several seals exhibiting abnormal respiratory and neurological symptoms on February 19 and 20. The symptoms included lethargy and tremors.

Samples collected from sick and dead animals were immediately sent to the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System at UC Davis, where initial screening confirmed the presence of bird flu. Federal authorities then verified the strain as H5N1 on Tuesday (February 24) evening local time.

“This is a very rapid detection of an outbreak in wild marine mammals,” said Christine Johnson, director of the Institute for Pandemic Studies at the Weill Institute for Veterinary Medicine at UC Davis. “We have likely identified the first cases here because of the coordinated teams that have been on high alert with active surveillance for this disease for some time.”

The California State Parks has temporarily closed public access to the seal observation area and cancelled guided elephant seal tours until March, as officials work to investigate the outbreak.