Across the Atlantic, cats have died from avian flu after drinking raw cow’s milk, that is to say unpasteurized, contaminated with the H5N1 strain of avian flu.
- Cats living on a farm have died from bird flu in Texas, USA.
- They were allegedly contaminated after drinking raw cow’s milk infected with the H5N1 strain of influenza.
- This means that bird flu can pass from one mammal to another, which can make contagion more difficult to control.
For the first time, twelve cats died from bird flu in Texas (United States) after drinking raw cow’s milk contaminated with the virus. More precisely, it is the H5N1 strain of avian influenza, a subtype of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), called clade 2.3.4.4b. The felines lived on a farm with dairy cows. According to a report of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the cats were apparently contaminated after drinking raw milk and colostrum, that is to say unpasteurized, last March.
Avian flu: first contamination in cats due to raw cow’s milk
According to Science Alert, after consuming them, the cats quickly had symptoms, such as profusely runny noses and eyes, body stiffening, loss of vision and coordination, or even running in circles without ceases. They then died. According to the media, until now, there had never been any contamination of cats – and therefore deaths – due to raw cow’s milk.
To establish a link between the cat deaths and dairy cows, CDC researchers analyzed autopsies of the felines and samples of contaminated milk. Results: lhe cats tested positive for the avian flu virus. LThe virus detected presented “a notable degree of similarity” with that present in cow’s milk samples. Finally, the first cat to be affected by symptoms died a day after the first cow on the farm fell ill.
Usually, bird flu affects birds. But, according to the Pasteur Institute. The virus “can sometimes infect other animal species such as pigs and other mammals, including humans.” If the cats have been contaminated by raw cow’s milk, this means that avian flu can pass from one mammal to another, which can make contagion more difficult to control. “Although exposure to and consumption of dead wild birds cannot be completely ruled out (…), the consumption of unpasteurized milk and colostrum from infected cows and the high amount ofviral nucleic acid in milk make [de cette hypothèse] the most likely route of exposure”, write the researchers, in comments reported by Science Alert.
Drink pasteurized milk to avoid being contaminated by the H5N1 strain of flu
Last March, several farm dairy cows in Texas and Kansas contracted bird flu. According to US agricultural authorities, this was the first time that this H5N1 strain of avian flu had been detected in dairy cows in the country. A few cases have even been reported in humans. If cats have been contaminated by drinking milk, can we continue to consume it without risk? Yes, but on condition that it is pasteurized.
