1. Early bird-flu surge hits more than 260,000 birds across Minnesota
By Tom Akaolisa, Editor
Minneapolimedia.Town.News
September 28, 2026
Minnesota experienced approximately six weeks without a confirmed outbreak before the virus was identified Sept. 1 in a Wright County commercial flock containing 29,800 birds. Since then, cases have been confirmed in seven commercial flocks and three backyard flocks.
The timing is significant because Minnesota officials generally expect the fall outbreak period to begin in October, when migrating waterfowl carry the virus south through the Mississippi Flyway. Officials have not determined why the fall resurgence began several weeks earlier in 2026.
Highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly called HPAI or bird flu, can spread rapidly through poultry operations and kill entire flocks within days. When an infection is confirmed, affected birds are generally destroyed, buildings are cleaned and disinfected, and the property must remain empty before poultry can be introduced again.
2. Protecting wildlife calls for stronger legislation, two landmark studies reveal
WOAH
September 28, 2026
Nearly half of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) Members have identified legislative support as a priority for strengthening wildlife health. Following the publication of two landmark studies on wildlife health legislation, WOAH is turning this demand into action through a practical assessment tool implemented at national level through pilot missions and strategic partnerships that support stronger legal frameworks for wildlife health.
Effective wildlife health management depends on more than scientific knowledge, surveillance systems and technical expertise. It also requires strong legal frameworks that clearly define responsibilities, empower Veterinary Services, Aquatic Animal Health Services, wildlife authorities and other Competent Authorities to act, and enable coordinated responses across sectors.
Recognizing the critical role of legislation in protecting animal, human and ecosystem health, WOAH, in collaboration with Legal Atlas , recently published two pioneering comparative studies examining how national legal frameworks govern wildlife health across a selection of countries. Together, these reports provide the most comprehensive studies to date of legislation covering terrestrial and aquatic wildlife health, recognizing legal strengths while highlighting gaps that may limit countries' ability to prevent, detect and respond to threats posed by wildlife diseases.
These studies mark a key step in a broader initiative to strengthen wildlife health governance worldwide, opening new avenues for support and collaboration.
3. Mating-related chemical changes in New World screwworm identified [edited]
By Jordan Strickler, University of Kentucky
Edited by Gaby Clark, reviewed by Andrew Zinin
Phys.org
September 28, 2026
Researchers at the University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment (CAFE) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have discovered that mating changes the chemical coating on the New World screwworm, a fly species with maggots that can cause serious tissue destruction and deadly diseases in livestock and other animals. The findings may help scientists better understand how the insects recognize mates and could provide leads for future monitoring and control methods.
The paper examined chemicals found on the surface of adult screwworm flies. These waxy substances, known as cuticular hydrocarbons, help protect insects from drying out. They can also carry chemical information about an insect's species, sex, age or reproductive condition.
"We found that males and females carry many of the same hydrocarbons, but in distinctly different proportions," Syed said. "Mating further reshaped these chemical profiles, particularly in females."
The analysis focused on 21 major hydrocarbon peaks that accounted for most of the chemical signal. The same major hydrocarbons appeared in males and females before and after mating. The important difference was the amount of each compound within the overall mixture.
Full text: https://phys.org/news/2026-09-chemical-world-screwworm.html
4. California Thoroughbred Tests Positive for EIA
Forty-three horses at the Los Angeles County facility are under quarantine.
EDCC Health Watch
Equus Magazine
September 28, 2026
A 17-year-old Thoroughbred gelding in Los Angeles County, California, recently tested positive for equine infectious anemia (EIA) and was euthanized.
Forty-three potentially exposed horses on the home premises have initially tested negative for EIA and will remain under quarantine until their 60-day retest. The California Department of Food and Agriculture has been on site and is monitoring the situation.
Full text: https://equusmagazine.com/news/edcc-health-watch/california-thoroughbred-tests-positive-for-eia
5. Caribbean countries boost African swine fever preparedness
Representatives from 17 nations worked to update, strengthen their rapid response plans in Barbados, with the technical support of IICA and the USDA.
Industry Release
National Hog Farmer
September 28, 2026
Representatives from 17 Caribbean countries recently gathered in Barbados in a bid to strengthen their capacities to prepare for and respond to African swine fever, by reviewing and updating national rapid response plans, designed to protect pork producers, strengthen veterinary services and protect the food security of the region.
The event took place under the Surveillance and Response for the Prevention of African Swine Fever in the Americas Project, developed by the USDA, with technical coordination by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture. Since 2024, this project has provided support to national veterinary services in the Caribbean region, to strengthen their surveillance, diagnostic and response capacities.
The countries participating in the meeting reviewed and updated their national rapid response plans - a key tool for coordinating early detection, control and recovery actions. The workshop facilitated efforts to enhance the capacities of veterinary services and to offer greater protection for the pork producers and farms involved in this strategic activity for food security and rural economies in the Caribbean.
6. Watch the September 2, ZOHU Call Video
Zoonoses & One Health Update
CDC
September 28, 2026
Presentations:
You can't manage what you don't measure: Utilization of CASVNET, a national electronic database, to measure antimicrobial prescribing in companion animals
By Jennifer Granick, DVM, MS, PhD, DACVIM (SAIM), Professor, Internal Medicine, Veterinary Clinical Sciences
University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine
A multicenter iatrogenic outbreak of Purpureocillium septic arthritis in horses from contaminated injected pharmaceuticals
By Douglas Pluta, MS, PhD Student
Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine
Virginia Tech
Video link: https://tinyurl.com/23jped9o