On Sept. 15, 2022, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in a non-commercial backyard flock (poultry) in Obion County, Tennessee.

HPAI is known to be deadly for domesticated fowl. The affected backyard flock in Obion County consists of chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, pheasants, and pigeons. On Sept. 13, the flock owner notified the State Veterinarian’s office after a sudden unexplained increase in deaths.

Testing at the C.E. Kord Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory in Nashville and the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa confirmed the presence of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza in samples from that flock.