Only 10 viral particles cause H5N1 avian flu infection in cows
New university findings highlight potential implications for cattle, animal health, and veterinary practice.
dairy cattle can cause infection in cows, a new study shows.
Bottle-feeding calves high-viral-titer milk collected from infected cows led to minimal virus detection and inflammatory signs in the calves, suggesting transmission through feeding doesn’t spread enough material to establish an infection.
Photo: Getty Images Just 10 viral particles of the H5N1 bird flu that caused hundreds of influenza outbreaks in U.S.
The research also hints at why the outbreaks have confounded scientists, farmers and livestock handlers hoping to contain and prevent the disease – an effort likely complicated by the fact that the virus has an affinity for cow mammary glands rather than airways.
Tests for transmission among cows through milk machinery or through feeding of calves, and between birds and cattle through shared indoor air, didn’t show results of disease spread.
Researchers are continuing to pursue more answers, but for now the transmission mystery endures, meaning scientists can’t yet provide evidence-based recommendations for practices that would stop the spread.
“How it spreads from cow to cow becomes a very important question.
We need to understand if there’s a way to change milking practices or farming practices, whatever it is, to limit cow-to-cow transmission because we think spillover is going to happen again.
It’s just a matter of time,” said senior author Andrew Bowman , professor of veterinary preventive medicine at The Ohio State University .
“And right now we don’t have a great way to prevent either that spillover or cow-to-cow transmission once it happens.” The study was published recently in Nature Communications .
Highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza A viruses are associated with wild birds and poultry, but since 2021 a group of these viruses of clade 2.3.4.4b have circulated globally in mammals and were first reported in U.S.
The report adds to ongoing university-led research relevant to veterinary medicine, animal health, and clinical decision-making.
Source university website: Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine
https://vet.osu.edu/news/only-10-viral-particles-cause-h5n1-avian-flu-infection-cows
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