Influenza A outbreaks in Minnesota turkeys due to subtype H10N7 and possible transmission by waterfowl

Abstract

Avian influenza outbreaks in Minnesota involving the H10N7 subtype occurred on two turkey farms in 1979 and on a third in 1980. The H10N7 (Hav2 Neq1) subtype had not previously been detected in turkeys in Minnesota or reported in the United States. The clinical signs ranged from severe, with a mortality rate as high as 31%, to subclinical. Antigenically indistinguishable viruses were isolated from healthy mallards on a pond adjacent to the turkey farms, suggesting that the virus responsible for the outbreak may have been introduced by feral ducks.