A domestic goose that died in western Prince Edward Island this week tested positive for an H5 avian influenza virus, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency confirmed Friday.

Samples are being sent to the CFIA´s National Centre for Foreign Animal Diseases in Winnipeg so that confirmatory tests can be run and the neuraminidase (the N in a flu virus´s name) can be determined.

Results of those tests aren´t expected until Monday or Tuesday at the earliest, said Dr. Jim Clark, the CFIA´s director of animal health. But Clark said there are already clues this avian flu virus isn´t likely the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus that has decimated chicken flocks in parts of Asia.

That´s because the goose was part of a small, free-range flock of chickens, geese and ducks. And while four of 11 geese in the flock died, none of the chickens fell ill.

"If this is a highly pathogenic virus - or it was - then it should have been causing some difficulty for the chickens," Clark said in an interview from Ottawa.

"So we´re relatively confident that the virus has low pathogenicity. But we won´t be able to say that definitely until the lab in Winnipeg finishes analyzing the samples."

Clark said there´s actually no evidence at this point that avian flu played a role in the death of the geese.

"Just because these birds have died, we mustn´t jump to the conclusion it was an influenza virus that killed them," he cautioned.

A post-mortem examination of the bird will be done to determine the cause of death. The other birds in the flock - killed as a precautionary measure - will also be examined for presence of the virus.

A spokesperson for the Public Health Agency of Canada said at the request of provincial authorities, the agency is sending three epidemiologists to Prince Edward Island to help in the investigation and to help monitor the health of people who came in contact with the flock.

"Based on the information that we have at this point in time . . . there is no new threat to human health," said Aggie Adamczyk.

"But while we wait for the results of further testing . . . precautions are being taken to protect the health of those who have been in close contact with birds."

Dr. Lamont Sweet, P.E.I.´s chief medical officer, said people in the vicinity will be monitored for flu-like symptoms or eye infections.

Although H5N1 causes severe infection and often death in humans, most avian flu viruses induce no human disease or at worst conjunctivitis.

The owner of the birds, who was raising them for personal consumption, told authorities he noticed four of his geese were "walking funny" on Sunday.

"Monday morning, he came out (and) the four birds that were walking funny were dead," Clark said.

The man disposed of three but took one for testing to the Atlantic Veterinary College in Charlottetown. The laboratory there confirmed the presence of an H5 virus.
Further testing will reveal the nature of the virus. But an avian influenza expert agreed the fact the chickens in this flock didn´t fall ill suggests it probably isn´t a highly pathogenic H5 virus.

"It certainly doesn´t sound like the Asian H5N1," said Dr. Ted Leighton, executive director of the Canadian Co-operative Wildlife Health Centre.

H5 and H7 avian flu viruses come in two forms - highly pathogenic and low pathogenicity or high and low path for short. The former is deadly to domestic chickens while the latter typically leads to a drop off in egg production.

"There´s no such thing as zero probability on these things. But there´s a lot of other reasons why a bunch of geese might die," Leighton said.

The geese were purchased about six weeks ago from a local co-operative. Clark said a trace-back is underway to see where the birds came from. "We´re very interested in the source of the birds.

"(But) having said that, six weeks ago is too long for the birds to incubate the virus," he said, suggesting it is more likely the geese picked up the virus after coming in contact with wild birds.

A wild bird surveillance program conducted in Canada last fall found a number of birds carrying low path H5 viruses. Analysis of the genetic blueprints of the viruses showed none were of the Asian H5N1 lineage and posed little or no threat to human health.

The CFIA is not putting movement restrictions in place in the area, noting there are no large commercial poultry operations within a 10-kilometre radius and few small poultry holdings nearby.

International codes require countries to notify the World Organization for Animal Health - known as the OIE - when they discover H5 and H7 viruses in birds. If the Winnipeg lab confirms the H5 finding, the CFIA will notify the Paris-based agency as well as trading partners, Clark said.