ETIDIOH - NEW

  Abstract Since 2020, the outbreak of high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus clade 2.3.4.4b has turned into the largest documented panzootic 1,3. Here, we describe its arrival into the Indian Ocean sub-Antarctic archipelagos of Crozet and Kerguelen , where we first detected the virus in October 2024 in dead southern elephant seals . While the panzootic is ongoing, it has already caused unprecedented mortalities of marine mammals and seabirds . We collected brain swabs from seal and seabird carcasses and obtained 25 novel HPAI H5N1 2.3.4.4b sequences . Using phylogeographic analyses, we show that there have been independent introductions of the virus to Crozet and Kerguelen islands , most likely from the distant South Georgia islands in the Southern Atlantic , and not from the more nearby coasts of South Africa . Our results point to a year-long gap in genomic surveillance in the sub-Antarctic region. Locally, our analyses show that the virus is transmitted between di...

Wild Mute Swans in the Kärnten Region. Source: WOAH,  https://wahis.woah.org/#/in-review/6821 ____

  Highlights •  Raw pet foods and raw milk are emerging sources of H5N1 in pets . •  Cats are more severely infected with H5N1 when compared to dogs. •  H5N1 persistence in mammals indicate adaptive variants with increased zoonotic potential. •  No reported pet-to-human transmission of H5N1 has been reported. •  FDA now requires RMBD makers who are covered under FSMA to assess HPAI risk. Abstract The increasing popularity of raw meat-based diets (RMBDs) and raw milk feeding in companion animals presents a growing concern for zoonotic disease transmission. Recent evidence has demonstrated that these products can serve as vehicles for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 , an emergent viral threat with a host range from birds, dairy cattle , and pets to humans . Since the emergence of clade 2.3.4.4b in 2020 , HPAI H5N1 has caused widespread outbreaks in poultry, wild birds, and mammals , including dairy cattle and cats . Transmission to pets has been...