ETIDIOH - NEW

  The Hague, December 2 (Xinhua)  Dutch Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Safety and Nature, Femke Wilsma, reported on December 1 that the country had confirmed its first death from the H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus . In a letter to the House of Representatives that day, Wilsma stated that the Institute of Biological Veterinary Medicine at Wageningen University had recently reported that a kitten at a goat farm tested positive for the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus .  The kitten was found dead by its owner.  The remaining seven kittens from the same litter also died after being given to other new owners, suggesting that they may have also been infected with the avian influenza virus, but the specific route of infection is still uncertain. The letter stated that, according to the cat owner, the mother cat had brought back a dead wild bird , which was suspected to have carried the avian influenza virus, and the kittens were infected ...

  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...

Abstract The first known human infection with a highly pathogenic H5N1 influenza A virus appeared in China in 1997 . Between 2003 and 2017, the WHO documented an additional 862 human cases, mainly from southeast Asia and Egypt , with a mean annual case fatality rate of 56%. By 2006, the susceptibility of cats to severe respiratory and neurologic disease became apparent. Scientists raised concerns regarding the potential for domestic cats to transmit novel pathogenic strains to humans. But after 2006, reports of new H5N1 infections in companion animals dwindled, and human cases fell after 2016. In 2021, H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b viruses suddenly appeared in Europe and spread rapidly to the Americas , wreaking havoc on wildlife and crippling the poultry and dairy industries . Between 2022 and 2025, dozens of domestic cats died , most often following raw food consumption . Unease regarding the transmission potential of pets resurfaced. Although most human infections in the Americas were mild an...

Abstract As an avian influenza virus (AIV) panzootic is underway , the threat of a human pandemic is emerging . Infections among mammalian species in frequent contact with humans should be closely monitored. One mammalian family , the Felidae , is of particular concern. Domestic cats are susceptible to AIV infection and provide a potential pathway for zoonotic spillover to humans. Here, we provide a systematic review of the scientific literature to describe the epidemiology and global distribution of AIV infections in felines reported from 2004 to 2024. We identified 607 AIV infections in felines , including 302 associated deaths , comprising 18 countries and 12 felid species . We observed a drastic flux in the number of AIV infections among domestic cats in 2023 and 2024, commensurate with the emergence of H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b. We estimate that this phenomenon is underreported in the scientific literature and argue that increased surveillance among domestic cats is urgently needed. Sou...

TRENTON, NJ - The first feline case of H5 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI or “bird flu”) in New Jersey has been confirmed in a feral cat from Hunterdon County .  The case was confirmed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratory, and follows previous national reports of confirmed feline cases in other states.   The cat developed severe disease, including neurologic signs , and was humanely euthanized.  Other cats on the same property were also reported ill , and one additional indoor-outdoor cat was subsequently confirmed positive for H5 HPAI. Other tests are still pending, and the investigation is ongoing. The overall public health risk remains low at this time. While H5 HPAI has been detected in humans in the U.S. – primarily in individuals with close contact with infected poultry or dairy cattle – there have been no human cases reported in New Jersey, and none of the cases across the country are known to h...

Abstract In January 2025, the highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) virus clade 2.3.2.1a infection was detected in domestic cats and whole-genome sequencing of two cat H5N1 isolates was performed using the Oxford Nanopore MinION sequencing platform. Phylogenetic analysis revealed the circulation of triple reassortant viruses in cats. Although cat viruses lacked classic mammalian adaptation markers they carried mutations associated with enhanced polymerase activity in mammalian cells and increased affinity for α2-6 sialic acid receptor suggesting their potential role in facilitating infection in cats. The identification of reassortant HPAI H5N1 clade 2.3.2.1a viruses in domestic cats in India highlights the urgent need for enhanced surveillance in domestic poultry, wild birds, and mammals, including humans, to track genomic diversity and molecular evolution of circulating strains. Source: BioRxIV,  https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.02.23.638954v1 ____

Summary -- What is already known about this topic? -  Outdoor cats on U.S. dairy farms have been infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) virus; infection has not been reported in indoor cats. -- What is added by this report? -  HPAI A(H5N1) virus was detected in two indoor domestic cats with respiratory and neurologic illness that lived in homes of dairy workers but had no known direct exposure to HPAI A(H5N1)–affected farms. Both dairy workers declined testing ; other household members received negative test results for influenza A. -- What are the implications for public health practice? -  Veterinarians in states with confirmed HPAI A(H5N1) in livestock should consider obtaining household occupational information , testing for influenza A viruses , and wearing personal protective equipment when evaluating companion cats with respiratory or neurologic illness . Suspected cases should be reported to public and animal health officials. Abstract High...

Redwood City — State veterinary and health officials have confirmed a case of H5N1 (bird flu) in a domestic stray cat in San Mateo County.  The infection, which is not related to the recent instance of bird flu in a backyard flock , was found in a stray cat in Half Moon Bay that had been taken in by a family .  When it showed symptoms, they took it to Peninsula Humane Society, whose veterinarians examined it and requested testing. Lab results confirmed H5N1.  It is not known how the cat was infected and it was euthanized due to its condition. Cats may be exposed to bird flu by consuming infected bird , being in environments contaminated with the virus and consuming unpasteurized milk from infected cows or raw food. Inside domestic animals, such as cats and dogs, that go outside are also at risk of infection.​​​​​​​ According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the risk of cats spreading H5N1 to people is extremely low, though it is possible for cats to spre...

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...

 {Original text in Icelandic, translated, edited.} The Icelandic University of Iceland's Pathology Laboratory at Keldur notified the Icelandic Food and Veterinary Authority on January 6 that a kitten that arrived at the laboratory for autopsy had been diagnosed with a severe strain of avian influenza (H5N5).  This is the same strain that has been detected in wild birds in Iceland since September last year and on one poultry farm in early December.  The Icelandic Food and Veterinary Authority immediately issued instructions for disease control to prevent the spread of the infection and is now working to trace the infection .  Symptoms of the disease in this cat included loss of appetite, weakness, stiffness, tremors, seizures and other neurological symptoms .  Cat owners are asked to contact a veterinarian immediately if they notice such symptoms in their cats. The cat diagnosed with bird flu was a 10-week-old kitten that died on December 22. The littermate the k...

Three cats (one adult female and two 10 week old kittens) from the same household died on December 20., 21. and 22. after they had been ill for only a few days . The main clinical signs were lethargy, anorexia, cramps and stiffness . Other kittens from the same litter had been rehomed before those three got sick and they have not shown any symptoms. The most probable source of infection is wild birds . HPAI H5N5 have been diagnosed in a few wild birds in Iceland since September last year. Source: WOAH,  https://wahis.woah.org/#/in-review/6168 ____

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...

 {Excerpt} The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has confirmed two cases of H5 bird flu in cats that consumed recalled raw milk from Raw Farm, LLC . In addition, Public Health is investigating three other possible cases of H5 bird flu in three cats from a different household. The confirmed two infected indoor cats from one household consumed raw milk linked to a recall of raw milk and cream products prior to onset of symptoms, which included lack of appetite, fever and neurologic signs. The infected cats died after severe worsening of their illness , and subsequently tested positive for Influenza A, a rare result in cats. Public Health received the results of confirmatory testing, which confirmed the infection of H5 bird flu. Additional pets in the home are under quarantine. Public Health is now investigating additional possible cases of H5 bird flu in three cats from a different household. One cat has tested positive for Influenza A, a rare result in cats. Two other ...