WINTHROP, Maine — Six wild ducks found dead in a stream in Winthrop have tested positive for bird flu, Maine wildlife officials said.

A hooded dogfish was found dead in Mill Stream and tested positive for highly pathogenic avian flu, Maine’s Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife said on February 10.

The Department of Wildlife said Iowa’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory confirmed the strain was of the kind endemic in Maine. The strain is highly contagious and can spread and mutate between wild and domesticated flocks of birds, the ministry said.

The disease rarely infects humans. However, it poses a threat to the poultry industry. Avian influenza has been detected in wild and poultry in all New England states.

The Maine Department of Wildlife said residents who keep poultry should contain them whenever possible and separate them from wild birds. You also need to be careful about sticking, and thoroughly disinfect after encounters, the agency said.

Cases have also been previously reported in Arizona and 45 other states, including a nonprofit flock in Yavapai County.