Bird flu detected at German poultry farm

Several cases of bird flu have been detected at a poultry farm in southern Germany, and tests are under way to determine if it is the lethal H5N1 strain, authorities said today.

Routine initial testing of ducklings at the farm near Erlangen, which has some 44,000 birds, showed "several cases of the H5N1 virus," the local government said in a statement.

It said that samples were being sent to a federal lab to determine whether the virus was the "highly infectious" strain, and that results were expected early next week.

Several cases of the virus have surfaced among wild birds in Germany this year. Last month, it was detected in a domestic goose in the east of the country.

The local government said the farm was closed off.