My post earlier this week about culling considerations for control of disease outbreaks in animals generated some good discussion and ideas (and a surprisingly small number of “you’re an idiot” emails). Although that post was focused primarily on culling in response to influenza outbreaks, we can also think about it little more broadly
To Cull or Not to Cull: Managing H5N1 in an Era of Endemicity
The recent situation has raised more discussion about the role of mass culling in response to H5N1 influenza infection in domestic / captive birds. After H5N1 flu was identified on an ostrich farm in British Columbia, the CFIA ordered all 400 birds to be culled, but the owner is trying to find options to preserve
Presumptive H5 Avian Influenza in a Person, Canada
A presumptive case of H5 avian influenza has been reported in a teenager from British Columbia. Confirmatory testing is underway. Very little additional information has been released, so it’s hard to say how surprising and concerning it is. Information vacuums like this often lead to excessive speculation, but information sharing has to be balanced with
US Human H5Nx Influenza Infection With No Known Source
A lot of infectious disease events get over-hyped by the media, which makes it a bit surprising that this case has flown a bit under the radar. It’s not a sign of an impending “influenza apocalypse,” but it’s a warning sign that more may be going on lately with flu viruses than we’ve been able
Human-to-Pet Mpox Transmission
When mpox (formerly monkeypox) started to surge in Ontario back in 2022, I set up a study to try to look at possible human-to-pet transmission of the causative virus (known as MPXV), because we have very little information about the potential risks to pets, and their potential role in transmission. By the time we got
H5N1 Influenza in Cats in Colorado
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment recently released information about 6 cats in the state diagnosed with H5N1 influenza. Some aspects of these cases are totally unsurprising, others raise a lot of questions.
Colorado has been hit hard by H5N1 in dairy cattle, with over 50 herds affected since the spring
Human Leptospirosis Linked to Canine Outbreak
I spend a lot of time talking to people about leptospirosis in dogs and the risks to people. From a zoonotic disease standpoint, I spend half my time trying to raise awareness of the potential for transmission of this bacterium from infected dogs to people. I spend the other half trying to talk people off
H5N1 Flu in Dairy Cattle: New Info About Disease in Cattle and Potential Human Issues
There’s a great new early-release paper in Emerging Infectious Diseases (Oguzie et al. 2024) about the emerging situation with H5N1 influenza in dairy cattle. It provides some important new information, and more details that somewhat challenge the early narrative.
The authors explain some of the limitations of the study to keep in
Fatal H5N2 Infection in a Person: One-Off Weirdness or Warning Sign?
Adding to the “that was not on my bingo card” theme of the 2020s, there was a recent fatal H5N2 avian influenza infection in a person in Mexico.
First important point: this was H5N2, not the H5N1 strain we’ve been focused on for the past few years in bird (and spilling over into
Candida auris in Dogs
Candida auris is an emerging infectious disease threat. This fungus causes disease almost exclusively in immunocompromised people, with infections most often acquired in hospital. While infections are rare, it’s a bit problem because mortality rates tend to be very high (20-60%), it can cause outbreaks in healthcare facilities, it can live on the skin