Mississippi

New strain of bird flu wipes out Mississippi poultry farm

Published

9 months ago

March 19, 2025

New strain of bird flu wipes out Mississippi poultry farm

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

A new strain of a highly pathogenic bird flu known as H7N9 has surfaced at a poultry farm in Mississippi where chickens are raised for breeding.

The finding of the new strain came as researchers separately reported a potentially positive development: Exposure to human seasonal flu may confer some immunity to H5N1 bird flu.

The new strain found in Noxubee County, Miss., was confirmed March 12 and all of the roughly 46,000 birds either died or were euthanized after the infection spread, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal Plant Health Inspection Service and Mississippi’s Board of Animal Health. None of the birds entered the food supply.

Authorities didn’t say how the birds were infected, although federal wildlife agents had been identifying low-pathogenic versions of the H7N9 virus for several years in wild birds. It is possible that the version found in the chickens is circulating in wild birds, but most researchers think it probably acquired its deadly attributes once it got into the Noxubee chicken operation.

If that’s the case, “my money is on a one-and-done, perhaps with some local spread,” said Richard Webby, an infectious disease expert at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn.

Webby said most bird flu outbreaks follow that pattern: A low-pathogenic version is introduced to commercial poultry, and it becomes highly pathogenic once inside.

The introduction of H5N1—the bird flu virus that’s been infecting dairy cows, commercial poultry, pet cats, wild animals and wild birds since March 2024—into poultry and livestock populations was a notable exception to this trend: It was already circulating among wild birds and animals as a highly pathogenic virus.

John Korslund, a veterinarian and former USDA researcher, agreed with Webby and noted that the operation housed breeder broilers: chickens that are grown and maintained for breeding purposes, not for their meat.

This is significant because breeders live for months, if not years.

If a low-pathogenic virus “happens to get into a broiler meat flock, the birds don’t get sick and they go on to slaughter,” he said. But when a breeder flock picks up that virus, “the virus can replicate for weeks … this may well be what happened in Mississippi.”

However, according to USDA rules, routine and periodic testing of breeder birds for low-pathogenic avian influenza is required. In 2017, an outbreak of H7N9 occurred along the Mississippi flyway, probably starting in late February, but reported only in March. A summary report of the outbreak suggested the virus was introduced via wild birds.

As suspected in this case, it is believed it started as “low path” and only became “high path” once it got into commercial operation.

Nevertheless, experts said, if they are wrong and a highly pathogenic virus is circulating in wild birds, it’ll start popping up in other states and sites too.

“Time will tell how nasty it gets this time,” Korslund said.

The key to preventing these kinds of outbreaks—or at least getting ahead of them—is wildlife surveillance, the experts said.

Agencies such as the USDA, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Geological Survey’s Wildlife Health Center, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have divisions that are tasked with sampling wild birds and other animals for infectious diseases. The information they gather is then used by agriculture and public health officials to determine where and when to bolster biosecurity, or to keep a lookout.

Without that information, said Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the University of Saskatchewan’s Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization in Canada: “We’re flying blind.”

In the positive news that came out this week, a team of international researchers found that ferrets exposed to a common seasonal human flu—H1N1—before being exposed to H5N1, acquire some immunity from the seasonal flu.

Ferrets that weren’t exposed to the seasonal flu before being infected with H5N1 had high levels of the virus in their respiratory tissues, as well as detectable virus in their hearts, spleen, liver and intestines.

In contrast, those that had been exposed to the seasonal flu beforehand had virus only in the respiratory tract—and at pretty low levels.

“The biggest take-home message of our data is that prior human seasonal virus infection can provide some level of protection against the lethality of bird flu,” said Seema Lakdawala, a microbiologist at Emory University in Atlanta and one of the study’s researchers.

Webby, the St. Jude researcher, said the work supports other research that has looked at the potential protectiveness of prior exposure to flu viruses.

“It is for sure playing some role in modulating H5N1 disease in humans,” he said, but was unlikely the only factor. “After all, many people have severe seasonal H1N1 infections each year despite lots of immunity to the virus from previous H1N1 exposures.”

But the finding may help explain why the virus has recently been associated with generally mild disease in people who have been infected. Seventy people in the U.S. have been infected since March 2024, and one person has died. (Four people, including the Louisiana patient who died, have been hospitalized).

Before last year, the virus was thought to have killed roughly 50% of those infected.

Rasmussen said the worry now is that if H5N1 mutates to become transmissible between people, it’ll be young children as well as the old and compromised who are likely to be most affected. Children younger than 5 are less likely to have been exposed to seasonal human influenza viruses than school-aged children and adults—potentially making them more susceptible to the harms of a virus such as H5N1.

In addition, she said, the bird flu viruses circulating in birds and livestock “as far as we know, can’t transmit easily between people. But, if there’s reassortment, then who knows? We don’t know what kind of residual population-level immunity we would have” from a virus such as that.

How seasonal flu vaccines could affect this protection isn’t clear.

“Seasonal vaccines will not provide the same diversity of immune response as natural infection and are unlikely to provide the same level of protection,” said Lakdawala, who is testing this issue in the lab.

2025 Los Angeles Times. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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New strain of bird flu wipes out Mississippi poultry farm (2025, March 19)
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Mississippi

Mississippi Lottery Mississippi Match 5, Cash 3 results for Dec. 13, 2025

Published

3 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Press Room

Mississippi Lottery Mississippi Match 5, Cash 3 results for Dec. 13, 2025

The Mississippi Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 13, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Mississippi Match 5 numbers from Dec. 13 drawing

04-09-11-23-35

Check Mississippi Match 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 3 numbers from Dec. 13 drawing

Midday: 6-7-0, FB: 4

Evening: 4-3-9, FB: 5

Check Cash 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 4 numbers from Dec. 13 drawing

Midday: 3-1-6-2, FB: 4

Evening: 8-7-3-9, FB: 5

Check Cash 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from Dec. 13 drawing

Midday: 15

Evening: 15

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Story continues below gallery.

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

Winnings of $599 or less can be claimed at any authorized Mississippi Lottery retailer.

Prizes between $600 and $99,999, may be claimed at the Mississippi Lottery Headquarters or by mail. Mississippi Lottery Winner Claim form, proper identification (ID) and the original ticket must be provided for all claims of $600 or more. If mailing, send required documentation to:

Mississippi Lottery Corporation

P.O. Box 321462

Flowood, MS

39232

If your prize is $100,000 or more, the claim must be made in person at the Mississippi Lottery headquarters. Please bring identification, such as a government-issued photo ID and a Social Security card to verify your identity. Winners of large prizes may also have the option of setting up electronic funds transfer (EFT) for direct deposits into a bank account.

Mississippi Lottery Headquarters

1080 River Oaks Drive, Bldg. B-100

Flowood, MS

39232

Mississippi Lottery prizes must be claimed within 180 days of the drawing date. For detailed instructions and necessary forms, please visit the Mississippi Lottery claim page.

When are the Mississippi Lottery drawings held?

Cash 3: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
Cash 4: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
Match 5: Daily at 9:30 p.m. CT.
Cash Pop: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Mississippi editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Mississippi

Mississippi Lottery Mississippi Match 5, Cash 3 results for Dec. 12, 2025

Published

1 day ago

December 13, 2025

Press Room

The Mississippi Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 12, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Mississippi Match 5 numbers from Dec. 12 drawing

12-14-17-25-27

Check Mississippi Match 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 3 numbers from Dec. 12 drawing

Midday: 0-1-2, FB: 3

Evening: 4-2-3, FB: 6

Check Cash 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 4 numbers from Dec. 12 drawing

Midday: 2-7-9-1, FB: 3

Evening: 7-3-4-5, FB: 6

Check Cash 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from Dec. 12 drawing

Midday: 12

Evening: 04

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Story continues below gallery.

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

Winnings of $599 or less can be claimed at any authorized Mississippi Lottery retailer.

Mississippi Lottery Corporation

P.O. Box 321462

Flowood, MS

39232

Mississippi Lottery Headquarters

1080 River Oaks Drive, Bldg. B-100

Flowood, MS

39232

Mississippi Lottery prizes must be claimed within 180 days of the drawing date. For detailed instructions and necessary forms, please visit the Mississippi Lottery claim page.

When are the Mississippi Lottery drawings held?

Cash 3: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
Cash 4: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
Match 5: Daily at 9:30 p.m. CT.
Cash Pop: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Mississippi editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Mississippi

7 top recruits to watch in Saturday’s Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic

Published

2 days ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

7 top recruits to watch in Saturday’s Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic

Many of the future stars of college football will be competing in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic on Saturday afternoon on the campus of the University of Southern Miss in Hattiesburg.

Alabama Crimson Tide signees are expected to be among the headliners, with six total players (four for Alabama, two for Mississippi) competing in the game. Auburn’s representation was greatly reduced by injuries. The Tigers are left with one player representing Alabama after Saraland receiver DeShawn Spencer, Wadley linebacker Jaquez Wilkes and Petal defensive lineman Corey Wells were late scratches from the game.

Best in Bama Top 50

Players from the game are headed to four of the 12 teams in the College Football Playoffs, including Oregon, Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Alabama.

The game will kick off at noon on Saturday and will be broadcast across the state on Alabama Public Television.

Here are seven players to be on the lookout for during the matchup.

ALABAMA

CD Morgan, wide receiver, Benjamin Russell (jersey No. 1)

There likely will not be a player on the field who looks more SEC-ready than the 6-foot-4, 220-pound wide receiver. Are the comparisons to former Foley, Alabama and NFL star Julio Jones fair? This will be the biggest stage so far for Morgan to begin justifying the lofty and unfair comparisons.

DJ Broughton, tight end, Mary G. Montgomery, (No. 15)

Broughton was one of the catalysts for a remarkable turnaround for Class 7A Mary G. Montgomery, along with all-star teammate and Mississippi State signee Kaleb Morris (No. 0).

After being a longtime commit to South Florida, Broughton will forever be remembered as the first Auburn commit of the Alex Golesh era.

EJ Crowell, running back, Jackson, (No. 13)

The hype could not be any higher for Crowell, who is the most celebrated back to sign with the Crimson Tide since Derrick Henry. Like Henry, Crowell will have to learn the nuances of the position before becoming a major contributor in college. But the talent when Crowell has the ball in his hands is undeniable.

Brock Bradley, quarterback, Spain Park, (No. 7)

The Alabama squad should be in good shape with two pocket-passer quarterbacks who are athletic enough to make plays on the run. Bradley is a longtime pledge to the Clemson Tigers. He will share the position with his future in-state rival Landon Duckworth (No. 3), who will play for South Carolina after leading Jackson to back-to-back state championships.

Mhari Johnson, defensive lineman, Muscle Shoals, (No. 9)

The 6-foot-4, 275-pound defensive lineman was a catalyst for one of the stiffest defenses in the state at Muscle Shoals. He could be a strong candidate for early playing time with the Crimson Tide.

While Johnson is expected to be one of the top playmakers on the defensive line, look for Central-Phenix City linebacker and Jacksonville State signee Tristan Lyle (No. 19) and Gadsden City defensive back and Alabama signee Zyan Gibson (No. 5) to also be defensive leaders.

MISSISSIPPI

JJ Hill, running back, Tupelo (No. 0)

Hill is the younger brother of Alabama’s Daniel Hill. Both are bruising backs. The younger Hill is 25 pounds lighter than his brother, but he’s still listed at 6-feet, 220 pounds. Hill will share the backfield with Gulfport’s Cooper Crosby (No. 6). Crosby was likely headed for Auburn before the Tigers made a coaching change. He will now play for Mississippi State. Tupelo and Gulfport squared off in a wild state championship game a week ago, with Gulfport scoring on a Hail Mary pass and extra point at the end of the game to win. Now the two backs who starred in that game will be all-star teammates before playing together at Mississippi State.

Bryson Cooley, offensive lineman, West Jones (jersey No. 63)

Securing Cooley late in the recruiting process was a huge win for Alabama. He is one of two future Tide players on the Mississippi roster, joining defensive lineman Nolan Smith (No. 34) of Picayune Memorial.

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