Turkey health study

Project background

Study area

After the DNR received numerous reports of turkeys with lesions on their heads, wildlife researchers began conducting a health assessment of wild turkeys in central Minnesota.

Several of these turkeys were tested for Avian Pox Virus, which is known to circulate in Minnesota wild turkeys, and Lymphoproliferative Disease Virus (LPDV), which was not previously known to be circulating in Minnesota but a disease of concern in the southern United States.

Surprisingly, all turkeys tested positive for both Avian Poxvirus and LPDV. While these diseases do not infect humans, they may impact survival and reproduction in both wild and domestic turkeys.

These detections heightened the need for a better understanding of what pathogens may be circulating in Minnesota's wild turkeys, which prompted the DNR to initiate this pilot project.

Study findings

Hunters submitted 321 kits. All but one of those kits could be tested.

None of the birds tested positive for avian influenza, avian metapneumovirus and Mycoplasma gallisepticum. We did detect these diseases in a number of birds:

• Mycoplasma synoviae: A bacterium specific to wild and domestic fowl. It can cause respiratory problems, joint swelling and lower egg production in birds. It usually does not lead to severe illness but is considered an important disease in domestic poultry.
• Lymphoproliferative Disease Virus (LPDV): A retrovirus specific to wild and domestic fowl and can occasionally cause tumors in affected birds. It can cause pox-like lesions on bare parts of the turkey (head, neck, legs) but most infected birds do not show symptoms.
• Reticuloendotheliosis Virus (REV): A retrovirus similar to LPDV. It can cause tumors but many infected birds appear healthy and show no outward signs.

What the results tell us

Overall, these findings suggest that wild turkeys in permit area 507 are generally healthy with no detection of avian influenza or other higher-consequence diseases during this study. The pathogens we did detect are commonly found in wild and domestic fowl and are often present without causing obvious illness.

Detecting these diseases in harvested birds helps us better understand what diseases are circulating in the population, even when birds appear healthy in the field.

Establishing this type of baseline information is important for wildlife managers. It allows them to:

• Track changes over time.
• Respond more quickly if disease patterns shift.
• Better evaluate potential risks to turkey populations in the future.

Key takeaways

• None of the pathogens we detected can infect humans.
• It is unclear if these diseases could lead to population declines but we now have a better understanding of what diseases are circulating in turkey permit area 507 wild turkeys.
• Regardless of a turkey’s results, follow the standard recommendation of cooking meat to an internal temperature of 165° F.

What’s next?

While DNR wildlife researchers do not plan to collect samples in 2026, we are hoping to expand this project in upcoming years! We may target other turkey permit areas, aim for more samples and obtain a larger snapshot of statewide turkey health.

We want to sincerely thank our partners at the National Wild Turkey Federation for their help in recruiting hunters and providing a shotgun for the raffle. The shotgun was won by a youth hunter.

Thank you again to participating turkey hunters. Studies such as this could not be done without your cooperation.