It is exceptional that the bird flu variant in Biddinghuizen passed from gull to chicken. So says Arjan Stegeman, professor of veterinary medicine at Utrecht University. Throughout Europe, gulls have rarely infected chickens with mild bird flu. According to the professor, that is not so easy either.
The virus has been circulating throughout Europe since last summer, but the company on Zeebiesweg in Biddinghuizen is the first company in the Netherlands to become infected with the virus since the end of the confinement obligation. Research by Wageningen Bioveterinary Research in Lelystad shows that this is a new variant, which mainly circulates among seagulls. “The seagulls breed in colonies,” says professor Stegeman. “They are very close together from mid-April to mid-June.” As a result, the virus spreads faster. Many dead seagulls were also found at Bataviahaven in Lelystad and the Zwarte Meer in Kraggenburg. According to Stegeman, seagulls more often carry mild bird flu. These variants transfer less easily to poultry. The virus can spread to chickens; this has already been done a number of times in the form of an experiment in Italy, but spontaneously it has not happened for half a year. It is not yet clear why it happens so little and in this specific case it does. According to the professor, research is being done into this. “But it will be a while before we know.”
Gull poop is the culprit
Stegeman says that the virus mainly spreads through the gulls’ faeces. The breeding season is now over and the young gulls also fly more inland to look for food. This increases the chance that the gulls will also visit poultry farms and leave their droppings there. “If you have free-range chickens and an infected bird defecates in the pasture, they can become infected.”
Even if the farmer walks through gulls’ poop and then goes into a shed, the chickens can become infected. It is not known whether this also happened in Biddinghuizen.
According to the professor, it is wise not to leave any objects that are attractive to seagulls on the grounds to prevent this. “You have to make sure you don’t have stuff that seagulls see as food,” he says. “I think the owners are already doing well and paying attention.”
2023-08-02 16:37:09
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