Bird flu virus particles were found in tissue samples taken from one dairy cow sent to slaughter at a U.S. meat processing plant, but none were detected in samples from 95 other cattle, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said on Friday.
Meat from the animals was prevented from entering the nation’s food supply, USDA said.
Agriculture and health officials have scaled up testing of meat and dairy products and livestock, as an outbreak of bird flu has expanded in dairy cattle.
Two U.S. dairy workers have tested positive for bird flu since the virus was first detected in cattle in late March.
Older dairy cows are often processed for hamburger meat. USDA’s testing results come at the start of peak U.S. grilling season around the U.S. Memorial Day weekend.
To date, USDA said it has completed testing on beef tissue from 96 of 109 muscle samples that were collected as part of a meat safety study.
