Confirmed findings of influenza of avian origin in captive mammals
Published 17 March 2023
Applies to England, Scotland and Wales
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Details of confirmed findings of influenza of avian origin in captive mammals in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales).
South American bush dogs, March 2023
Ten South American bush dogs (Speothos venaticus venaticus) have tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) in March 2023.
These animals were part of a captive breeding programme at a zoological premises in England. They were tested as part of a routine investigation into an unusual mammal die-off in November 2022. Ten animals died or were euthanised in a group of 15 bush dogs, over a 9 day period.
The bush dogs had minimal clinical signs before death, and APHA cannot definitively state whether or not H5N1 caused the clinical signs. Influenza of avian origin was not suspected at the time; the virus has since been detected in postmortem samples.
There is no clear evidence suggesting mammal to mammal transmission. It is very likely all animals were exposed to the same source of infected wild birds.