April 2 (Reuters) - Egg producer Cal-Maine Foods ( CALM )

said on Tuesday it had temporarily halted production at

its Texas facility after detecting avian influenza, which has

led to the culling of about 1.6 million laying hens.

The move comes amid rising concern over the rapid spread of

the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu in birds and mammals and just

a day after Texas reported the second case of the strain in a

human in the United States.

The company said it had culled about 3.6% of its total flock

as of last month, including 337,000 pullets - or young hens,

after its facility in Parmer Country, Texas, tested positive.

Cal-Maine said it was working with government officials and

industry groups to mitigate the risk of future outbreaks.

Since 2022, 82 million U.S. chickens, turkeys and other

birds have been culled due to a deadly strain of the virus,

which has spread to many corners of the world and has even been

found in the frozen continent of Antarctica.

Cal-Maine said that no eggs have been recalled as there is

no risk related to bird flu associated with eggs. According to

the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), the influenza cannot be

transmitted through properly cooked eggs.

On Monday, Texas and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control

and Prevention reported a case of bird flu in a person who had

contact with dairy cows presumed to be infected with the virus,

as the highly pathogenic influenza spreads to new mammals,

including dairy cattle.

The USDA said in February the country was about 18 months

away from identifying a vaccine for the current strain of bird

flu.

The deadly strain has killed wildlife, including a few

dolphins, about 50,000 seals and sea lions and about half a

million birds in South America since it arrived in the region in

2022.

(Reporting by Juveria Tabassum in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun

Koyyur)