A highly fatal form of avian influenza, or bird flu, has been confirmed in U.S. cattle in Texas and Kansas, the Department of Agriculture announced on Monday.
It is the first time that cows infected with the virus have been identified.
The cows appear to have been infected by wild birds, and dead birds were reported on some farms, the agency said.
The results were announced after multiple federal and state agencies began investigating reports of sick cows in Texas, Kansas and New Mexico.
In several cases, the virus was detected in unpasteurized samples of milk collected from sick cows.
Organizations:
Department of Agriculture
Locations:
U.S, Texas and Kansas, Texas , Kansas, New Mexico