12.03.2015

Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza (LPAI) was confirmed on 2nd February 2015 in a broiler breeder chicken premises in Hampshire, England. The company has a number of broiler breeder/rearer sites in Southern England, and supplies hatching eggs under contract to a local hatchery.
The virus that caused the outbreak is strain H7N7 LPAI. The H7N7 subtype has been detected on several occasions in the last few years in poultry within the EU. Genetic analyses indicate that this virus is of avian origin closely related to contemporary European H7 strains and with no strong correlates for increased human affinity. Furthermore, these analyses suggest a recent introduction of the virus from a wild bird source, rather than via prior passage through chickens. The last time this strain was detected in the UK was in June 2008 near Banbury when the virus had been introduced to the infected premises as an low pathogenic strain (LPAI) but mutated to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) during spread through the flock.
There is some uncertainty as to the source of infection for the infected premises, however all the available evidence strongly suggests that indirect contact with infected wild birds, as a result of flooding of the poultry housing on 15th January 2015 by water from a neighbouring field known to be frequented by large numbers of wild birds (including gulls, corvids and waterfowl), is the most likely source.