FDA begins testing raw cheese for bird flu

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Source: msn /The Independent

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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has started to test cheese for cases of bird flu.

Federal health officials have started to gather samples of aged raw cow’s milk cheese to test for the infectious disease, the FDA said Monday. The collection of the samples started toward the end of this month and is set to be finished by the end of March. The agency noted that it may extend the collection period if needed.

This comes after the Department of Agriculture issued a federal order earlier in December stating that samples of raw milk would be collected and shared with the FDA to be tested for the disease, according to ABC News. The FDA has said that it’s set to gather 300 samples of raw cow’s milk cheese which has been aged for at least two months.

The samples will then be examined using a PCR test that searches for genetic material from the virus. The tests are set to be completed within a week of collection, the FDA has said. Samples that are found to have the virus will then be subjected to viability testing, which is conducted by injecting part of the virus into an embryonated egg and looking at whether it grows or multiplies, ABC noted.

Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-gb/health/other/fda-begins-testing-raw-cheese-for-bird-flu/ar-AA1wMJOt