The bird flu virus, known primarily for its prevalence among avian species, has made an alarming leap to dairy cows and humans in the United States.
Knewz.com has learned that the pathogen in its original form was only detected recently but already has the scientific world on edge.
The reason for the latter is the recent reports of four poultry workers in Colorado being diagnosed with the disease bringing the total number of infected Americans to nine—eight of whom hail from said state.
All diagnosed cases are noted to be relatively mild with “reddened and irritated eyes and common respiratory infection symptoms like fever, chills, coughing, sore throat, and runny nose,” and the tests for a fifth person are yet to be released.
The findings of a separate study have indicated that the “highly pathogenic” avian flu has adapted to dairy cows.
New research found that the affected cows possess the same disease receptors (sialic acid) in their breathing tracts as birds.
America’s Centers for Disease Control (CDC) explains that “a major determinant of a virus-host range is receptor availability.”
The report further notes that the H5N1 virus which belongs to the influenza A group of viruses (IAVs) uses “host sialic acids as their receptors for initial attachment and entry into the cells.”
The study also found that the bird flu virus was capable of surviving in said livestock’s mammary glands and by extension their milk.
Notably, infected dairy cows produce less milk which was observed to be of a different consistency.
The discovery has since led to scares and added quality and safety criteria in the dairy industry.
The CDC reported: “Detection of high levels of viral RNA in the milk during the acute stage of infection has triggered public health alerts and premovement testing requirements, and has suggested the potential for the presence of the virus in unpasteurized milk.”
The H5N1 virus was first detected among birds in the U.S. in 2021.
One year later outbreaks were recorded among various commercial and subsistence poultry populations.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service recorded more than 6,400 cases among wild birds across America during the same year.
It also noted the disease's prevalence among 790 backyard flocks in 47 states between January 2022 and March 2023.
A that early stage, the virus had already leaped to numerous mammals in the affected areas.
The inter-species spread was thought to be the result of said animals eating the infected birds.
By the end of 2023, 20 different mammal species including red foxes, raccoons, and bobcats were infected by the avian flu.
In the case of the infected dairy cows, the source of their sickness as determined through genetic sequencing, was wild birds.
As can be derived from their work, the sick poultry employees contracted their illnesses from chickens.
Despite the dreaded jump from birds to various mammal species and now humans, health experts have classified the threat to the general public as low.
The reason for the latter is that the virus is incapable of spreading between humans.