TOYAMA, Dec. 18, 2010 (Kyodo News International) -- Officials of Toyama Prefecture are conducting a further investigation into suspected cases of avian influenza infection after a swan was spotted swimming feebly Saturday at a park where two swans were found dead earlier in the week.
It was the second time a weakened mute swan was discovered in as many days in a moat inside the premises of the park in Takaoka city after the dead swans were found there on Thursday, one of which subsequently tested positive for bird flu in a preliminary test.
Further tests are being conducted on the three swans found dead or ill by late Friday, including two that initially tested negative, while local officials are preparing a preliminary test in the latest suspected case.
Toyama is the second prefecture this winter to experience suspected cases of infection with highly pathogenic avian flu.
Earlier this month, local authorities in Shimane Prefecture said they had culled over 20,000 chickens at a poultry farm in Yasugi, where a highly virulent strain of the bird flu virus was detected.
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