Tyson shares slammed by 'no-danger' avian flu find
By Nathan Becker, MarketWatch.com
Last update: 6:30 p.m. EDT June 3, 2008
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Shares of Tyson Foods Inc. (TSN) dropped 8% to close at $16.98 Tuesday following a report that 15,000 chickens in a northwest Arkansas plant had tested positive for a mild strain of avian influenza.
U.S. Dept. of Agriculture spokeswoman Angie Harless said the National Veterinary Services Laboratories confirmed the presence Sunday of avian influenza antibodies in Tyson chickens, indicating that they had a mild strain of avian flu.
The strain, low-pathogenic H7N3, poses no danger to humans, Harless said.
"They have no clinical signs of infection at all and they look apparently healthy," she said. "There aren't any dead birds from the sickness."
As a precautionary measure, Harless said the chickens will be killed and their bodies disposed of.
Harless said poultry are routinely tested for avian influenza and other diseases, and Tyson Foods has previously said it tests heavily for avian flu, checking all flocks before they leave the farm.
"We're constantly monitoring our flocks for the presence of disease, including avian influenza," the company said in a previous statement.
Harless said avian flu is divided into two groups based on the strain's ability to produce disease. Low-pathogenic, like the strain discovered, occurs naturally in wild birds. Highly pathogenic strains, including H5N1 that recently spread rapidly throughout the world, can be fatal in birds.
Tyson Foods was unavailable for comment Tuesday. End of Story |
