WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A recent study published in Nature by Cornell University reveals how avian influenza has led to mammal-to-mammal transmission involving dairy cattle, and other mammals.
Researchers at Cornell utilized genomic data, computer modeling, and information on the virus's spread to demonstrate how the infected cows in Texas transmitted H5N1 avian influenza to a farm with healthy cows in Ohio, as well as to local cats, a raccoon, and wild birds.
'This is one of the first times that we are seeing evidence of efficient and sustained mammalian-to-mammalian transmission of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1,' said Diego Diel, associate professor of virology and one of the study's authors.
Although avian influenza primarily infects birds, it has been found to also infect mammals, including humans. The study highlighted the potential risks associated with repeated spillovers from birds to mammals or transmission between mammals, as it heightens the risk of the virus mutating in ways that could lead to adaptation to mammals, potential spillover to humans, and efficient human transmission in the future.
The researchers found that this H5N1 strain is capable of infecting mammals, including humans, and can infect cells in the mammary gland, which produces milk and is unique to mammals. Genetic data indicated that infected cows transmitted the virus to cats and a raccoon through drinking raw milk, as well as to wild birds through environmental contamination or aerosols during milking. Although evidence of mammal-to-mammal transmission was found, genetic analysis did not reveal signs of enhanced transmissibility in humans. However, it is crucial to monitor the outbreak for signs that the virus is adapting to mammals.
Notably, 11 human cases have been reported in the U.S., with the first dating back to April 2022, all with mild symptoms. The recent patients fell ill with the same strain identified in the study as circulating in dairy cows, suggesting that the virus likely originated from dairy farms in the same county. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has funded programs for H5N1 testing, with early testing, enhanced biosecurity, and quarantines being deemed necessary to contain any further spread of the virus.
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