Pathfinder
Editor, Senior Moderator
- Article
- Published: 08 July 2024
- Amie J. Eisfeld,
- Asim Biswas,
- Lizheng Guan,
- Chunyang Gu,
- Tadashi Maemura,
- Sanja Trifkovic,
- Tong Wang,
- Lavanya Babujee,
- Randall Dahn,
- Peter J. Halfmann,
- Tera Barnhardt,
- Gabriele Neumann,
- Yasuo Suzuki,
- Alexis Thompson,
- Amy K. Swinford,
- Kiril M. Dimitrov,
- Keith Poulsen &
- Yoshihiro Kawaoka
We are providing an unedited version of this manuscript to give early access to its findings. Before final publication, the manuscript will undergo further editing. Please note there may be errors present which affect the content, and all legal disclaimers apply.
Abstract
Highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza (HPAI H5N1) viruses occasionally infect, but typically do not transmit, in mammals. In the Spring of 2024, an unprecedented outbreak of HPAI H5N1 in bovine herds occurred in the US, with virus spread within and between herds, infections in poultry and cats, and spillover into humans, collectively indicating an increased public health risk[SUP]1-4[/SUP]. Here, we characterized an HPAI H5N1 virus isolated from infected cow milk in mice and ferrets. Like other HPAI H5N1 viruses, the bovine H5N1 virus spread systemically, including to the mammary glands of both species; however, this tropism was also observed for an older HPAI H5N1 virus isolate. Importantly, bovine HPAI H5N1 virus bound to sialic acids expressed in human upper airways and inefficiently transmitted to exposed ferrets (one of four exposed ferrets seroconverted without virus detection). Bovine HPAI H5N1 virus thus possesses features that may facilitate infection and transmission in mammals.
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https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07766-6
