Avian virus in Mexico

[mperdue at]

In response to the question regarding the mexican viruses reported on 
NPR: It is good to know that has hit the news at last.  Basically there 
is an avian influenza outbreak in progress in central Mexico.  Relatively 
mildly pathogenic H5N2 strains began to be isolated in mid 1994 around 
the Mexico City area.  Toward the end of the year the situation began to 
heat up such that now isolates coming from the area are lethal to 
significant numbers of birds and molecularly they carry a hemagglutinin 
cleavage site which allows replication of the virus in a wide variety of 
bird tissues.  Pathotyping studies are still ongoing in Mexico and 
the US but is certainly possible that this could be classified as a 
highly pathogenic outbreak.  In fact I believe Mexico has reported it is 
such to the O.I.E.

Mike Perdue
Southeast Poultry Research Lab
Athens, GA.