SACRAMENTO, United States, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Seven seal pups at California's Ano Nuevo State Park have tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1, marking the first cases of bird flu in marine mammals in the state and the first detection in northern elephant seals, scientists said.
The discovery came after a research team led by Roxanne Beltran, a professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UC Santa Cruz, observed seals showing abnormal respiratory and neurological symptoms, including weakness and tremors, on Feb. 19 and 20.
Samples collected from sick and dead animals were rushed to the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System at UC Davis, where initial screening confirmed avian influenza. Federal authorities verified the strain as H5N1 on Tuesday evening.
"This is exceptionally rapid detection of an outbreak in free-ranging marine mammals," said Christine Johnson, director of the Institute for Pandemic Insights at UC Davis Weill School of Veterinary Medicine. "We have most likely identified the very first cases here because of coordinated teams that have been on high alert with active surveillance for this disease for some time."
California State Parks has temporarily closed public access to seal viewing areas and canceled guided elephant seal tours through March as officials investigate the outbreak. ■