Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) was found among the deceased in Necochea (Buenos Aires) and Port Loyola (Santa Cruz). Also in Punta Belmeja de Videma (Rio Negro).
The National Laboratory of Food Hygiene and Quality Services (Senasa) confirmed that sea lion deaths in Necochea (Buenos Aires) and Puerto Loyola (Santa Cruz) were due to “new highly pathogenic The avian influenza (HPAI) case, “H5”, comes from “migratory birds from the northern hemisphere”, said the organization’s country director, Ximena Melón.
The news was reported on August 24, the same day that sea lions died or showed symptoms of bird flu in the El Cóndor Spa and Punta Bermeja de Viedma Nature Reserves in the province of Río Negro. Rio Negro and the Minister of Environment and Climate Change of the local municipal government.
With regard to the specimens that died in the provinces of Buenos Aires and Santa Cruz, the Senasa laboratory diagnosed “new positive samples for the disease taken from the dead in Puerto Quacquen, Puerto Necochea and Puerto Rico. sea lion (Otaria flavescens) “Loyola,” via a press release.
Melón, Senasa’s national animal health director, told the agency Teram “It is the same subtype of the virus that is circulating in Argentina and is highly pathogenic, with birds being the most affected species.”
“We hadn’t had the disease before, it was acquired in February this year through migratory birds from the northern hemisphere. There were many cases in all countries in Central America and it ended up reaching Argentina, Chile and Bolivia,” added.
So far, four notifications about sea lions have been processed: the first two were negative; the third was found in Antarctica’s Tierra del Fuego and the Rio Grande in the South Atlantic Islands, the first positive case for this species the fourth was confirmed a few days ago in the Rio Negro Punta Bermeja Nature Reserve.
They have collected other sea lion samples in Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires and Santa Cruz’s San Julian port in recent days, and results are still awaited.
Necochea’s southern seawall is closed due to confirmed deaths of local pinniped populations from highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).
The hypothesis of the agency responsible for animal health is that “sea lions contracted the disease from sick wild birds” that shed the virus in their feces.
“In colonies, there’s a lot of contact between seabirds and between marine mammals, and there’s droppings all over the place,” Mellon said.
Although transmission of the virus among marine mammals has not been described worldwide, experts insist “this is grounds for investigation” and they are working with other countries with the same findings to determine whether the virus is associated with marine mammals Mutations transmitted between animals. Spread from mammal to mammal.