NIGERIA-"Poultry death, abnormally high"

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   NIGERIA: February 7, 2006

ABUJA - Nigeria is testing samples from poultry that died on a farm in the 

northern state of Kano, but authorities said on Monday this was unlikely 

to be Africa's first case of deadly H5N1 bird flu.

Poultry have died in abnormally high numbers on the Sovat farm in 

Danbare village and samples have been sent to several laboratories to 

identify the cause of the deaths.

"We have picked up escherichia coli bacteria in the samples, but not on a 

scale sufficient to cause the deaths," said Tony Joannis, head of the viral 

research department at the National Veterinary Research Institute in 

central Plateau state.

"It would have to be in association with something else and we are 

conducting further tests."

He said it would take 24 to 48 hours for the laboratory to determine 

whether bird flu was present in the samples or whether the poultry had 

Newcastle disease - a more likely option.

 http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/34910/sto ry.htm