08.02.2015

This new outbreak was detected in a backyard poultry flock (94 Non-commercial semi-confinement chicken laying hens) in the Avian Influenza Primary Control Zone (PCZ) - Chilliwack, in the province of British Columbia (BC), in the same area as the previous outbreaks of HPAI H5N2 reported in December 2014. All susceptible animals on site were humanely destroyed.
The National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease (CFIA - Winnipeg) reported NAI H5 RRT-PCR positive results on 4 February 2015 and partial sequencing of H5 and N1 segments on 5 February.
The virus involved is a HPAI H5N1 virus with the H5 gene segment derived from the Eurasian lineage, and N1 derived from North American lineage based on partial sequence. The H5 gene segment is very similar to the reassortant H5N2 in BC and the H5 in the H5N1 reassortant virus detected in a wild green-winged teal just south of the border in Washington State, USA. In addition, the N1 gene segment is very similar to North American wild bird viruses and nearly identical, over the very small fragment sequenced this far, to the N1 in the H5N1 virus detected in a green-winged teal mentioned above. Based on the limited partial sequence of the H5 and N1 gene segments obtained this far, it appears very likely that this is the same or a very similar virus to the recent reassortant H5N1 virus in Washington State but more sequencing will be needed to make a final conclusion.