Spillover of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus to dairy cattle.

ABSTRACT: The highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus clade 2.3.4.4b has caused the death of millions of domestic birds and thousands of wild birds in the USA since January 2022 (refs. ^1-4). Throughout this outbreak, spillovers to mammals have been frequently documented^5-12. Here we report spillover of the HPAI H5N1 virus to dairy cattle across several states in the USA. The affected cows displayed clinical signs encompassing decreased feed intake, altered faecal consistency, respiratory distress and decreased milk production with abnormal milk. Infectious virus and viral RNA were consistently detected in milk from affected cows. Viral distribution in tissues via immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization revealed a distinct tropism of the virus for the epitheli

SUBMITTER: Caserta LC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11485258 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature