This is less of a content update and more of a “here’s what I really want to know,” but it’s still an update, I guess. It’s a bit hard to say where we currently stand with this problem, at least in terms of the most important aspects. That’s not uncommon with emerging diseases, but we’re
Update: Dairy Cattle and H5N1 Flu (April 8)
There’s not a lot new to report since last week about the finding of H5N1 influenza in dairy herds in multiple US states (see map below). That’s often a good sign.
H5N1 Avian Flu in Cattle: What Farmers, Veterinarians, Governments and Consumers Can Do Now
There’s been a lot of concern about the recent identification of H5N1 avian flu in cattle in the US, along with a single human infection in a person working with infected cattle. Some of the concern is warranted, but some is overblown. We need to balance awareness versus paranoia, and try to better understand
H5N1 Avian Flu in a Cat on a Dairy Farm (Completely Unsurprising)
H5N1 avian influenza has been found in cats on a dairy farm in New Mexico where cattle were infected with the same virus. As part of the farm investigation, some (number not reported) sick (type of illness not reported) cats were tested, and three were positive. There’s no way to know for sure, but I’d
Human Case of H5N1 Likely Linked to Cattle
Following the recent report of H5N1 avian influenza in cattle in the US, the CDC has now reported H5N1 infection in a person from Texas who was exposed to infected dairy cattle. This is bound to get a lot of attention. To a large degree, it’s warranted, but it’s probably going to get
H5N1 Avian Flu in Cattle: What to Be Concerned About and What Not to Freak Out About
Recent reports from federal and state agencies in the US of H5N1 avian flu in cattle in Texas, Kansas and now other states have gotten a lot of attention, and for good reason; but, as is typical, some of the media coverage has gone a bit over the top. This is certainly a noteworthy event
SARS-CoV-2 in Cattle – Take a Deep Breath and Relax
Headline writers are probably going to screw up my day tomorrow by sensationalizing this, but a new paper in the journal Animals (Fiorito et al. 2022) describes SARS-CoV-2 infection in cattle in Italy. (It’s an MDPI journal, and I take anything published there with a big grain of salt given their low standards, but this
Update: COVID-19 in Animals Review Part 7: Cattle
As I keep going through these updates, some are pretty easy since we’ve learned little since I originally wrote them last year. For cattle, that’s largely because the initial take home message was “they’re not susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, so mooove on.”
That’s not a completely accurate assessment since “susceptible” isn’t really yes/no distinction in