Category: Emerging Infectious Diseases
First Texas Case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Detected in Mammals
Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife The National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) confirmed this week the presence of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in a striped skunk recovered from Carson County. This is the first confirmed case of HPAI in mammals for Texas. Detected in all states across the U.S. except Hawaii, HPAI is a […]
Mar 21, 2023
Bird flu may be making foxes and other animals behave in unusual ways
(New Scientist) Analysis of wild mammals infected with H5N1 bird flu in the US found that many had brain infections and neurological symptoms, including lack of fear of people. Bird flu is infecting the brains of wild mammals such as foxes and raccoons and may be making them behave in unusual ways, according to a […]
Mar 21, 2023
USGS Initially restricted to wild birds and poultry, spillover into wild mammals was first confirmed at the beginning of May 2022 in Canada and then a few days later in the United States. The detections were in wild red fox kits. A new study co-authored by USGS scientists describes the detections of disease due to natural infection […]
Mar 21, 2023
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Virus Outbreak in New England Seals, United States
CDC We report the spillover of highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) into marine mammals in the northeastern United States, coincident with H5N1 in sympatric wild birds. Our data indicate monitoring both wild coastal birds and marine mammals will be critical to determine pandemic potential of influenza A viruses. Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses are […]
Mar 21, 2023
SARS-CoV-2 infection weakens immune-cell response to vaccination
NIH NIH-funded study suggests need to boost CD8+ T cell response after infection. The magnitude and quality of a key immune cell’s response to vaccination with two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine were considerably lower in people with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to people without prior infection, a study has found. In addition, the […]
Mar 21, 2023
The Strongest Evidence Yet That an Animal Started the Pandemic
The Atlantic A new analysis of genetic samples from China appears to link the pandemic’s origin to raccoon dogs. For three years now, the debate over the origins of the coronavirus pandemic has ping-ponged between two big ideas: that SARS-CoV-2 spilled into human populations directly from a wild-animal source, and that the pathogen leaked from […]
Mar 16, 2023
COVID, bird flu, mpox – a virologist on why we’re seeing so many viruses emerge
The Conversation From the widespread outbreak of mpox (formerly called monkeypox) in 2022, to the evolving bird flu situation, to recent cases of Marburg virus in Equatorial Guinea, COVID isn’t dominating the headlines as much as it used to. Instead, we’ve been regularly hearing about outbreaks of newly emerging or re-emerging viruses. So, is the incidence of virus outbreaks […]
Mar 14, 2023
Risk of avian flu spread to European poultry set to rise again
Watt Ag Net Over the coming months, migration of wild birds infected with the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus raises the risk of a further surge of outbreaks in European poultry. In a recent review, European health authorities conclude that the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) situation continues to evolve — not only in Europe […]
Mar 14, 2023
Persistent prosopagnosia following COVID-19
(Science Direct) Abstract COVID-19 can cause psychological problems including loss of smell and taste, long-lasting memory, speech, and language impairments, and psychosis. Here, we provide the first report of prosopagnosia following symptoms consistent with COVID-19. Annie is a 28-year-old woman who had normal face recognition prior to contracting COVID-19 in March 2020. Two months later, […]
Mar 14, 2023
More Young Kids Can Get Bivalent COVID Booster
MedPageToday Pfizer’s booster authorized in children under 5 who received three doses of monovalent vaccine More children under age 5 are now eligible for a COVID-19 booster, the FDA announced on Tuesday. Kids ages 6 months to 4 years who completed their primary vaccination with three doses of the monovalent Pfizer-BioNTech shot can now get a booster […]
Mar 14, 2023