ETIDIOH - NEW

The Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) is alerting pet owners that samples of Northwest Naturals brand 2lb Turkey Recipe raw & frozen pet food tested positive for a H5N1 strain of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) virus .  Testing conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) and the Oregon Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (ODVL) at Oregon State University confirmed a house cat in Washington County contracted H5N1 and died after consuming the raw frozen pet food .  Tests confirmed a genetic match between the virus in the raw and frozen pet food and the infected cat. “We are confident that this cat contracted H5N1 by eating the Northwest Naturals raw and frozen pet food ,” said ODA State Veterinarian Dr. Ryan Scholz.  “This cat was strictly an indoor cat ; it was not exposed to the virus in its environment, and results from the genome sequencing confirmed that the virus recovered from the raw pe...

Abstract We previously reported that mice immunized twice with a lipid nanoparticle vaccine comprising four monkeypox viral mRNAs raised neutralizing antibodies and antigen-specific T cells and were protected against a lethal intranasal challenge with vaccinia virus (VACV). Here we demonstrated that the mRNA vaccine also protects mice against intranasal and intraperitoneal infections with monkeypox virus and bioluminescence imaging showed that vaccination greatly reduces or prevents VACV replication and spread from intranasal, rectal, and dermal inoculation sites. A single vaccination provided considerable protection that was enhanced by boosting for at least 4 months. Protection was related to the amount of mRNA inoculated, which correlated with neutralizing antibody levels . Furthermore, immunocompetent and immunodeficient mice lacking mature B and T cells that received serum from mRNA-immunized macaques before or after VACV challenge were protected. These findings provide insights i...

Summary   Beyond domestic poultry , influenza A( H5N1 ) of clade 2.3.4.4b has spread to almost all regions , infecting a wide range of wild birds, marine and terrestrial mammals , and recently, cattle in the United States of America . When an influenza virus is circulating in both avian and mammalian populations , the likelihood of spillover to humans and risk to public health may increase . The reported events of the influenza A(H5N1) virus among terrestrial and marine mammals in several countries, including the recent cases detected in the United States of America, have made it necessary to improve virus detection in cattle and other susceptible mammals and closely monitor virus evolution and adaptation to extraordinary hosts . These recommendations aim to support countries in planning surveillance for influenza A(H5N1) in cattle to enhance early detection , to generate evidence-based information to mitigate the impacts of spillover from birds to cattle, and to prevent transmissi...

 {Excerpt} {December 23 '24} The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has confirmed a human case of H5 bird flu in an adult who was exposed to livestock infected with H5 Bird flu at a worksite .  This is the first human case of H5 bird flu detected in LA County.  The person had mild symptoms , has been treated with antivirals , and is recovering at home .  The overall risk of H5 bird flu to the public remains low. There is currently no evidence of person to person spread of this virus.  Close contacts of the infected person and other workers exposed at the worksite are being monitored for symptoms and have been offered personal protective equipment, testing and antiviral prophylaxis .  No additional cases have been identified at this time.  Public Health is working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) on the ongoing investigation. “People rarely get bird flu, b...