ETIDIOH - NEW

  Abstract A 2023 outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in seabirds in Norway caused substantial environmental contamination of grazing areas frequented by local sheep . Eleven months later, 220 sheep were tested for antibodies to type A influenza and H5 subtype using ELISA, haemagglutination inhibition, and microneutralisation assays. One ewe (0.5%) tested positive by all methods, consistent with prior spillover infection . This underscores the importance of restricting livestock access to outbreak areas to mitigate cross-species transmission and zoonotic risk. Source: BioRxIV,  https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.08.14.670265v1 ____

Abstract Clade 2.3.4.4b H5N1 high pathogenicity avian influenza virus (HPAIV) continues to pose a significant global threat , affecting wild and domestic avian populations, and mammalian species . In early 2024, H5N1 HPAIV was detected in dairy cattle in the United States of America, where it has continued to circulate, with sporadic detections also reported in other ruminant species . The detection of high viral loads in milk from infected cattle, has resulted in several human infections , underscoring the zoonotic potential of these viruses. In response, several countries have intensified surveillance in non-avian species to evaluate the potential for undetected viral circulation in captive mammals. In Great Britain, bulk milk tank testing of cattle and targeted surveillance of captive mammalian species on an infected premises is undertaken in accordance with the outcome of a rapid risk assessment undertaken to determine the epidemiological links between the poultry and captive mamma...

Sheep, March 2025 One domestic sheep (Ovis aries) tested positive for influenza of avian origin (H5N1) in March 2025 . The case was identified following routine surveillance of farmed livestock on a premises in Yorkshire where highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) had been confirmed in other captive birds . The single animal was a ewe with signs of mastitis but no other clinical signs . The milk was positive by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and the blood tested positive for H5 antibodies.   All affected birds and the infected ewe were humanely culled to mitigate the risk of further disease spread. Further official testing of the remaining flock of sheep were all negative for the presence of avian influenza virus. Source: DEFRA,  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bird-flu-avian-influenza-findings-in-captive-mammals/confirmed-findings-of-influenza-of-avian-origin-in-captive-mammals ____