A highly pathogenic variant of bird flu has now been discovered in dairy cows in the USA for the first time. The disease occurred primarily in older cows in the states of Texas, Kansas and New Mexico and resulted in them having less appetite and producing less milk. said the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Washington. The cows were probably infected by wild birds. Dead wild birds were found on some of the affected farms. Experts suspect that the pathogen is the bird flu virus called H5N1, although the Ministry of Agriculture initially did not provide any information. Opposite the science journal Science However, the USDA said tests in Texas indicated that the pathogens in the sick cows were consistent with the strain observed in wild birds.
The pathogen was also discovered in some unpasteurized milk samples, it said. However, the safety and availability of milk in the USA is not at risk. The situation is currently being investigated extensively, the Ministry of Agriculture said.
Epidemiologist Gregory Gray from the University of Texas compares the evidence in cows in several states Science as a “worrying” development. It could be that this strain of bird flu spreads directly between cattle rather than through birds, and has mutated in a way that could make it more capable of infecting humans. Initially there was no official information as to whether the cows were only infected by wild birds or whether they also passed the pathogen on to each other. According to initial tests, there are no changes in the H5N1 virus that were found that would make it easier to transmit to humans, the USDA said.
The largest wave of bird flu ever documented is currently raging across several continents. The pathogen primarily affects birds, but has also been found in several mammals. People have also been infected with the pathogen, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 900, and a good half of them have died from the virus.