Bird-flu has been found in seals in Scotland after their carcasses were found on coasts across the country. Marine testing of the H5N1 strain of the avian influenza, most commonly found in birds, was detected in four seals this week.
The virus was confirmed in both harbour and grey seals in Aberdeenshire, Highlands, Fife and Orkney. It is thought that the current outbreak, which began in 2021, is a result of the high numbers of wild birds carrying the disease across the UK.
Scottish Marine Animal Standings Scheme sent samples from six dead seals to be analysed, with four positive tests confirmed yesterday: a grey seal found dead in Aberdeenshire in late 2021; a dead harbour seal in the Highlands in spring 2022; and two more harbour seals in Fife and Orkney that summer.
A statement from the Scottish Marine Animal Strandings Scheme reads: "We have just had results back from APHA from samples we sent for influenza virus screening last year. Three out of the four harbour seals and one of the two grey seals from 2021 and early 2022 tested positive for HPAIV H5N1.
"In other words, bird-flu has been confirmed in seals in Scotland. This perhaps isn’t that surprising, given last year saw the UK’s biggest outbreak of ‘flu, almost all due to the H5N1 strain which killed thousands of wild birds and also seen to spill over into foxes and otters.
"It does however raise a lot of questions about the possible disease ecology behind this finding and the possible implications for conservation, particularly of harbour seals. In one case, an adult harbour seal, gross and histopathology revealed a viral meningoencephalitis, meaning influenza was the likely cause of death.
"We're hoping to send more cases for screening to better understand what this means in terms of disease ecology and epidemiology."
Meanwhile, an outbreak was also confirmed in Eurasian otters in Scotland. Four carcasses of the mustelids tested positive for the virus in the Isle of Skye, Shetland and Fife.
Last week, the Record told how highly pathogenic strain of bird flu was discovered at a poultry farm in Fife. A 3km exclusion zone was erected around Woodlea Poultry Farm, near Dunfermline, following the confirmed case last Thursday. In January, over 1,000 hens died after a huge outbreak on a farm in Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire.
And a fresh bird flu warning was issued in Glasgow last month after 22 swans were found dead at a city park. It followed a confirmed outbreak at Hogganfield Loch in the North East of the city, which killed a further 23 swans.
The current infections are thought to be the worst in Scotland in terms of transmission and mortality rates.
Members of the public have been urged to report cases of dead marine mammals to the Scottish Marine Animal Standings Scheme via reports@strandings.org to experts can better understand to extent and magnitude of the outbreak.
The Daily Record approached the Department for Environment and Rural Affairs for further comment.
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