ETIDIOH - NEW

  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...

  Attacks on nuclear sites in the Islamic Republic of Iran have caused a sharp degradation in nuclear safety and security in Iran. Though they have not so far led to a radiological release affecting the public, there is a danger this could occur . The International Atomic Energy Agency has been monitoring closely the situation at Iran’s nuclear sites since Israel began its attacks a week ago. As part of its mission, the IAEA is the global nerve centre for information on nuclear and radiological safety, and we can respond to any nuclear or radiological emergency. Based on information available to the IAEA , the following is the current situation at Iran’s nuclear sites. Which I offer as a follow up to my most recent report to this Security Council. The Natanz enrichment site contains two facilities . The first is the main Fuel Enrichment Plant . Initial attacks on the 13th of June targeted and destroyed electricity infrastructure at the facility, including an electrical sub-station ...

Abstract Background :  The detection of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) in lactating dairy cattle in the United States , with high viral titers in raw milk, has raised concerns about potential zoonotic transmission through the consumption of unpasteurized milk and raw-milk dairy products. While inactivation studies exist for pasteurized milk, data on virus persistence during the manufacture of raw-milk cheeses remain scarce .  Aim :  To evaluate the survival and inactivation of avian influenza viruses (AIV), including both low pathogenic (LPAIV, H1N1) and highly pathogenic (HPAIV, H5N1) strains, during the production and ripening of Grana-type hard cheeses made from raw bovine milk.  Methods :  Experimental cheesemaking was conducted using raw milk artificially contaminated with A-Duck-Italy-281904-2-06 (H1N1; 10 7,75 EID50 per mL) or A-Duck-Italy-326224-2-22 (H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b; 10 6,75 EID50 per mL). Cheeses were produced in accordance wi...

Abstract In late 2023, H5N1 high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAIV) started circulating in dairy cattle in the USA . High viral titres were detected in milk from infected cows , raising concerns about onwards human infections . Although pasteurisation was shown to effectively inactivate influenza viruses in milk, unpasteurised milk still poses a risk of infection, both from occupational exposure in dairies and from the consumption of raw milk. We therefore assessed how long influenza viruses could remain infectious for in milk without heat inactivation. We examined the stability of a panel of influenza viruses in milk , including a contemporary H5N1 HPAIV and a variety of other influenza A and D viruses. We incubated viruses in cows' milk under laboratory conditions : at room temperature to simulate exposure in dairies and at 4°C to simulate exposure to refrigerated raw milk. Following an isolated report of H5N1 viral RNA being detected in milk from a sheep in the UK , we also c...

Abstract Highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIV) of subtype H5N1 (clade 2.3.4.4b) have crossed the species barrier and caused a mastitis-like infection in dairy cows . The high levels of infectious virus found in the milk raised considerable concerns about the safety of raw milk products . This study examined the effect of temperature and pH on the stability of HPAIV and low-pathogenic avian influenza viruses (LPAIV). We found that H5N1 HPAIV remained infectious in milk at 4 degrees Celsius for four weeks , with slow decreases at 21 degrees Celsius, and complete inactivation at 37 degrees Celsius after four weeks . H5N1 LPAIV was stable at 50 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes but inactivated at higher temperatures (55 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes, 60 degrees Celsius for 1 minute, or 72 degrees Celsius for 30 seconds). At pH levels between 6 and 10 , the virus remained stable but was partially inactivated at pH 5.0 and completely inactivated at pH 4.0. During yogurt production,...

Abstract The recent spillover events of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) clade 2.3.4.4b to dairy cattle , and high viral shedding in the milk from infected animals, has created concern that milk and dairy products could be a route for human infection . It has been demonstrated that pasteurization is effective in inactivating A(H5N1) in milk. However, multiple dairy products are made with unpasteurized but thermised milk . The aim of this study was to examine whether some conditions commonly used for thermisation are effective against inactivation of A(H5N1) in whole milk. For this purpose, we artificially inoculated whole raw cow milk with 6.5 log10 EID50 A(H5N1) and heated for 15 seconds at 60°C, 63°C and 66°C , the viral infectivity was tested using embryonated chicken eggs. We observed over 4 and 5 log10 reduction in viral infectivity at 60°C and 63°C, respectively. The viral infectivity was reduced to below the detection limit at 66°C. We also calculated the D-value...

Abstract The spillover of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 into dairy cattle has raised concerns over the safety of fluid milk . While no human foodborne infection has been reported , this strain has infected dozens of people and milk from infected cows is known to be infectious by ingestion in multiple other species. Investigation into the public health threat of this outbreak is critical . This study uses quantitative risk assessment (QRA) models to represent the United States raw and pasteurized fluid milk supply chains to estimate the risk of human infection from consumption of fluid cow's milk. These models were parameterized with literature emerging from this outbreak, then employed to estimate the H5N1 infection risk and evaluate multiple potential interventions aimed at reducing this risk. The median (5th, 95th percentiles) probabilities of infection per 240-mL serving of pasteurized, farmstore-purchased raw, or retail-purchased raw milk were 5.68E-15 (1.77E-16, 2.98E...

Abstract The spillover of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus to dairy cows and shedding of high amounts of infectious virus in milk raised public health concerns. Here, we evaluated the decay and thermal stability spectrum of HPAI H5N1 virus in raw milk. For the decay studies , HPAI H5N1 positive raw milk was incubated at different temperatures and viral titers and the thermal death time D-values were estimated. We then heat treated HPAI H5N1 virus positive milk following different thermal conditions including pasteurization and thermization conditions. Efficient inactivation of the virus was observed in all tested conditions, except for thermization at 50C 10 min . Utilizing a submerged coil system with temperature ramp up times that resemble commercial pasteurizers, we showed that the virus was rapidly inactivated by pasteurization and most thermization conditions . These results provide important insights on the food safety measures utilized in the dairy industry. S...

Abstract Following reports of HPAI H5N1 infections of dairy cattle in the United States (US) in March 2024, we established a Pan-Canadian Milk network to monitor retail milk in Canada. Milk samples from across Canada that had previously tested negative for influenza A virus (IAV) RNA were tested for the presence of anti-IAV nucleoprotein (NP) antibodies , as an indicator of past infection of dairy cattle. None of the 109 milk samples tested had evidence of anti-IAV NP antibodies. This is consistent with previous findings from our academic group as well as others including federal testing initiatives that have not found any IAV RNA in milk. Although not surprising given that no cases of H5N1 in cattle have been reported in Canada to date, this work further supports that the extensive outbreak in dairy cattle in the US has not extended northward into Canada, and the integrity of the Canadian milk supply remains intact. Source: MedRxIV,  https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.01...

Abstract In late 2023 an H5N1 lineage of high pathogenicity avian influenza virus (HPAIV) began circulating in American dairy cattle.  Concerningly, high titres of virus were detected in cows’ milk , raising the concern that milk could be a route of human infection . Cows’ milk is typically pasteurised to render it safe for human consumption, but the effectiveness of pasteurisation on influenza viruses in milk was uncertain . To assess this, here we evaluate heat inactivation in milk for a panel of different influenza viruses. This includes human and avian influenza A viruses (IAVs), an influenza D virus that naturally infects cattle, and recombinant IAVs carrying contemporary avian or bovine H5N1 glycoproteins . At pasteurisation temperatures of 63 °C and 72 °C , we find that viral infectivity is rapidly lost and becomes undetectable before the times recommended for pasteurisation ( 30 minutes and 15 seconds, respectively ). We then show that an H5N1 HPAIV in milk is effectively i...

WASHINGTON, January 17, 2025—As part of its ongoing, multi-faceted efforts to combat the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) today is updating its policy for pre-slaughter surveillance to enhance testing of turkey flocks in affected states .  In late December 2024, APHIS became aware of a genetic link between turkeys potentially infected with HPAI H5N1, virus detected in raw pet food, and an infected household cat . Out of an abundance of caution, and to remove a potential avenue for ongoing disease spread as well as to bolster consumer and trading partner confidence, APHIS collaborated with state animal health officials and the poultry industry to update its guidance for existing pre-slaughter surveillance steps to further ensure that affected poultry does not enter the food system. APHIS will continue to report confirmed HPAI detections to the World Organisation for Animal Health and on the APHIS website (m...

January 17, 2025 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has determined that it is necessary for manufacturers of cat and dog foods who are covered by the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act Preventive Controls for Animal Food (PCAF) rule and using uncooked or unpasteurized materials derived from poultry or cattle (e.g., uncooked meat, unpasteurized milk or unpasteurized eggs) to reanalyze their food safety plans to include Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza virus (specifically H5N1) as a known or reasonably foreseeable hazard .  Furthermore, the FDA is issuing this update to ensure that cat and dog food manufacturers are aware of information about the new H5N1 hazard associated with their pet food products, which is an additional reason that manufacturers must conduct a reanalysis of their food safety plans. The FDA is tracking cases of H5N1 in domestic and wild cats in California, Colorado, Oregon and Washington State that are associated with eating contaminated food products.  S...

Abstract The recent outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in dairy cows has created public health concerns about the potential of consumers being exposed to live virus from commercial dairy products. Previous studies support that pasteurization effectively inactivates avian influenza in milk and an earlier retail milk survey showed viral RNA, but no live virus could be detected in the dairy products tested. Because of the variety of products and processing methods in which milk is used, additional product testing was conducted to determine if HPAI viral RNA could be detected in retail dairy samples, and for positive samples by quantitative real-time RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) further testing for the presence of live virus. Revised protocols were developed to extract RNA from solid dairy products including cheese and butter . The solid dairy product was mechanically liquified with garnet and zirconium beads in a bead beater diluted 1–4 with BHI media. This preprocessing step was su...

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...

Assessment based on data as of 18 November 2024   12 December 2024  Key points   At the present time , based on available information , FAO-WHO-WOAH assess the global public health risk of influenza A(H5N1) viruses to be low , while the risk of infection for occupationally exposed persons is low to moderate depending on the risk mitigation measures in place and the local avian influenza epidemiological situation.  Transmission between animals continues to occur and, to date, a growing yet still limited number of human infections are being reported.  Although additional human infections associated with exposure to infected animals or contaminated environments are expected to occur, the overall public health impact of such infections at a global level, at the present time, is minor .  This risk assessment from FAO, WHO, and WOAH updates the assessment of the risk of zoonotic transmission (for example, animal to human) considering additional information made a...