The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) yesterday updated stakeholders on how a strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) may have spread to dairy cows in multiple states.
At an international online conference on April 4, Science.org reported, ministry officials said the virus was the beginning of the outbreak. Expanded to multiple states around late March– May be “spreading the spectrum” through milking equipment, dairy workers managing infected milk, or both.
This means that the virus may not be spreading through the cow’s respiratory system, as previously submitted.
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Explainer: Avian influenza in dairy cows requires extreme caution
The emerging disease syndrome was originally identified in dairy cows in Texas. These cows were identified by animal care workers and veterinarians as exhibiting the primary clinical signs of reduced milk production and reduced feed intake. Approximately 10% of cattle on affected farms appear to be showing clinical signs. There were no deaths and with supportive care the cow appears to have recovered within 2-3 weeks. However, the loss in milk production was significant. These same farms have reported dead wild birds on their property.
As quoted by Science.org, USDA’s Mark Lyons said, “We have seen no real indication that cows are actively shedding the virus and directly exposing it to other animals.” .
Ministry scientists also suggested that HPAI may not be spreading through migratory birds, as previously thought.
They said the likely reason behind the outbreak was a worsening of spring cattle movements caused by a virus that targeted cow udders. Milk is the only cow’s body fluid (or tissue) in which researchers have found HPAI (H5N1 subtype known as clade 2.3.4.4b).
“At this time, there is no evidence that the virus is actively replicating in cows outside of the udder,” Thule Rob Oosterman of the USDA’s National Veterinary Services Research Institute said at the conference.
Lyons added that HPAI can be transmitted to cows through milk droplets on dairy workers’ clothing or on gloves and suction cups used for milking.
According to Science.org, the USDA has “floated” the idea that the virus may have originated on a single farm.
Science.org pointed to unconfirmed sources claiming that some dairy farms (later found to be infected) found dead cats on their premises in February. The cats may have contracted the virus by ingesting spilled milk.
Additionally, the bird carcasses found on infected farms were not waterfowl (which have historically spread avian influenza viruses to poultry), but rather species such as grackles, blackbirds, and pigeons that live in and around human habitat. Ta.
As of April 2, the USDA has confirmed HPAI (designated H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4B) in 12 dairy herds in five states (7 in Texas, 2 in Kansas, Idaho, and Michigan). , 1 each in New Mexico).
moreover, Cases of human infection with avian influenza The infection was confirmed on April 1st in a person who came into contact with a dairy cow presumed to have been infected with the virus.
The USDA and U.S. Food and Drug Administration continue to stress that commercial milk is safe because it has been pasteurized to kill bird flu and other viruses.
The agency advises against consuming raw milk or products made from raw milk.
