Early Tests Find Pasteurization Killed Bird Flu in Milk: FDA

Results from early testing show that pasteurization killed highly pathogenic avian influenza in milk, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says. Results from “an initial limited set of geographically targeted samples” show that “pasteurization is effective in inactivating” the influenza, commonly known as the bird flu, the FDA said in an April 26 update. The FDA gathered samples from grocery stores with confirmed cases of the flu in cattle. The agency has said that one in five tested positive for avian influenza, but stressed that polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing can return positive due to residual fragments. “This additional testing did not detect any live, infectious virus. These results reaffirm our assessment that the commercial milk supply is safe,” the regulatory agency stated....