Category: Science and Tech
Iowa State University research identifies possible point of entry for avian flu in cattle
Des Moines Register As avian influenza is being detected in more and more dairy herds across the U.S., Iowa State University researchers have found a possible explanation for why the virus shows up in raw milk. A study published this month by a team at ISU’s College of Veterinary Medicine found that bovine mammary gland […]
Jul 17, 2024
Can H5N1 spread through cow sneezes? Experiment offers clues
Nature Study suggests the virus can spread through the respiratory system but infected milk is probably driving the outbreak in the US. Cows can get infected with the highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 by breathing in virus-laden aerosols, according to a preprint1 posted on bioRxiv. But scientists say this mode of transmission is probably not driving […]
Jul 17, 2024
Staying one step ahead of pathogen
St. Jude Webster created and grew a globe-spanning influenza research program at St. Jude. The researchers he trained and inspired continue his legacy, staying one step ahead of pathogens for the children of St. Jude — and the world at large. As for the skepticism about why he chose to do his work at St. Jude, […]
Jul 17, 2024
Bird flu has been invading the brains of mammals. Here’s why
Science News In spring 2022, a handful of red foxes in Wisconsin were behaving oddly. Veterinary pathologist Betsy Elsmo learned that a local wildlife rehabilitation center was caring for foxes with neurological symptoms like seizures, tremors, uncoordinated movements and lethargy. But tests for common pathogens like canine distemper virus and rabies that typically cause the […]
Jul 16, 2024
FDA shares research plans as it continues to monitor bird flu outbreak
Scripps News Over 100 dairy cattle herds in around a dozen states have reported cases of the highly infectious disease since March. U.S. health agencies maintain that the risk to the public is low. On Tuesday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration shared its agenda for research into avian influenza in dairy cows as it works to […]
Jun 26, 2024
To combat cow flu outbreak, scientists plan to infect cattle with influenza in high-security labs
Science The avian influenza virus that has been infecting dairy cows and spreading alarm in the United States was expected to reach Germany this week. But that’s actually good news. A shipment of samples of the H5N1 virus from Cornell University virologist Diego Diel is destined for the Federal Research Institute for Animal Health in […]
Jun 26, 2024
What’s Really Going on With Bird Flu Wastewater Data
Bloomberg With Covid, sewers provided a leading indicator of a surge in infections. But H5N1 is proving much tougher to track that way. During Covid, public health experts and armchair epidemiologists became obsessed with poop — or, more accurately, the secrets it held about the state of the pandemic. Wastewater, which can measure how much […]
Jun 19, 2024
How hunters are helping researchers track the spread of tick-borne diseases
MedPageToday Tick-borne diseases are on the rise throughout the country — and a unique collaboration between hunters and researchers is helping to bring more information to light. Hunters are checking the animals they catch for ticks and then sending them to be tested for infections in a program with Baylor University and the Texas Parks and […]
Jun 18, 2024
Bird flu is increasingly adapting to mammals
University of California Highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza viruses are becoming increasingly flexible and are adapting to mammals in new ways that could have global consequences for humans, wildlife and livestock, according to a new study of a massive outbreak among elephant seals in Argentina in 2023. The study, published as a preprint and co-led by University […]
Jun 11, 2024
These are the bird flu questions that influenza and animal scientists desperately want answered
STAT en weeks after government scientists discovered that H5N1 bird flu was sickening dairy cattle in the United States, many of the mysteries surrounding what is happening on affected farms remain just that. Widespread reluctance on the part of farmers to allow scientists — government or otherwise — onto their premises to study spread of the […]
Jun 5, 2024