H5N1 influenza virus stability and transmission risk in raw milk and cheese.

ABSTRACT: Highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 viruses have recently spread to dairy cattle, with high levels of virus detected in milk from affected animals, raising concern about the risk posed by unpasteurized dairy products consumed by humans. Here we evaluated H5N1 virus persistence in raw-milk cheeses (n = 3 per condition) made with milk acidified to pH 6.6, 5.8 and 5.0 before cheese making and validated our findings in raw-milk cheeses (n = 4) inadvertently produced with naturally contaminated raw milk. The pH values tested (6.6, 5.8 and 5.0) reflect the pH range encountered in raw-milk cheeses at the marketplace. We observed pH-dependent virus survival, with infectious virus persisting through the cheese-making process and up to 120 days of aging in cheeses made with raw milk at pH levels

SUBMITTER: Nooruzzaman M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12705432 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature