What is the difference between low pathogenic or “highly pathogenic avian influenza?
There are over 100 variations of avian influenza, bird flu, that exist. The designation of low or highly pathogenic avian influenza refers to the potential for these viruses to kill domestic poultry. The designation of low pathogenic or highly pathogenic does not refer to how infectious the viruses may be to humans. Most strains of avian influenza are not highly pathogenic and cause few signs in infected wild birds. In poultry, however, low pathogenic strains can mutate into a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) strain that causes extremely contagious, severe disease, and often death, in poultry.
