ETIDIOH - NEW

  {By © Hans Hillewaert, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5548312 } Wild species: Black-headed Gull (8), Mew Gull (8). {Norðurland vestra Region} Approximately 20 gulls were found dead at the beach. A pooled sample from 3 mew gulls was taken and found positive for HPAI H5N5. {Icelandic Exclusive Economic Zone} Approximately 20 gulls were found dead at the beach. A pooled sample from 3 black-headed gulls was taken and found positive for HPAI H5N5. Source: WOAH,  https://wahis.woah.org/#/in-review/6816 ____

  {England, Cumberland} A chicken breeders flock of 43,339 birds. Increased mortality and other clinical signs (lethargy, respiratory distress, swollen heads, tremors, watery diarrhoea and excessive oral discharge) were reported. Samples taken and were tested positive for HPAI H5N1. Source: WOAH,  https://wahis.woah.org/#/in-review/6824 ____

  {By Andreas Trepte - Own work, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37690004 } A wild Whooper Swan in Vidzemes Region. Source:  https://wahis.woah.org/#/in-review/6825 ____

  The highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAI), subtype H5N1 - has been detected in a commercial farm of laying hens located in the Municipality of Roverbella, Mantova Province, Lombardia region. The highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAI), subtype H5N1 - has been detected in a commercial farm of laying hens located in the Municipality of Cerasara, Mantova Province, Lombardia region. The highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAI), subtype H5N1 - has been detected in a commercial farm of broiler located in the Municipality of Chivasso, Torino Province, Piemonte region. The highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAI), subtype H5N1 - has been detected in a commercial farm of laying hens located in the Municipality of Vigasio, Verona Province, Veneto region. The highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAI), subtype H5N1 - has been detected in a commercial farm of laying hens located in the Municipality of Sona, Verona Province, Veneto region. The highly pathogenic...

  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...

  Abstract The emergence of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) clade 2.3.4.4b in dairy cattle across multiple U.S. states in early 2024 marks a major shift in the virus’s host range and epidemiological profile . Traditionally limited to bird species , the ongoing detection of H5N1 in cattle , a mammalian host not previously considered vulnerable, raises urgent animal and human health concerns about zoonoses and mammalian adaptation . We assessed the feasibility of using commercially available pasteurized milk as a sentinel matrix for the molecular detection and genetic characterization of H5N1 HPAIV. Our aim was to determine whether retail milk could serve as a practical tool for virological monitoring and to evaluate the use of full-length genome segment amplification for extracting genomic sequence information from this highly processed matrix. Our results link HPAIV sequences in store-bought milk to the cattle outbreak and highlight both the potential and the l...

Public Domain. Source: WikiArt,  https://www.wikiart.org/en/domenico-ghirlandaio/portrait-of-giovanna-tornabuoni-1490  ____

  Abstract In March 2024, a highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 (HPAI) clade 2.3.4.4b virus was identified in US dairy cows , with spillover to cats, poultry, and humans . Up to 30% of commercial pasteurized milk tested contained viral genome copies . The impact of residual viral remnants on host immunity is unknown. Orally ingested proteins can stimulate gut-associated lymphoid tissues , potentially inducing tolerance and altering responses to later infection. We found that milk pasteurization fully inactivated pandemic H1N1 and bovine H5N1 influenza viruses yet preserved hemagglutinin (HA) protein integrity. In mice , repeated oral exposure to inactivated virus did not alter mortality after H5N1 virus challenge. Preliminary data showed that naïve mice exposed to improperly pasteurized milk containing live H5N1 virus developed lethal infection , whereas prior H1N1 infection conferred protection . Mice with preexisting H1N1 immunity remained protected when challenged with bovine...

  Von Hmaag - Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 3.0,  https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9531230 Source: Wikipedia,  https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schweizerische_Lokomotiv-_und_Maschinenfabrik ____

  Int J Infect Dis TENG Z, Li L, Che T, Liang J, et al A Novel Balamuthia Lineage Causing Fatal Granulomatous Amoebic Encephalitis in an Immunocompetent Infant. Int J Infect Dis. 2025 Sep 17:108063. doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2025.108063. PubMed           Abstract available J Med Virol PLICANTI E, Deiana A, Nottoli S, Lottini G, et al A Pyrido-Quinoxaline Derivative That Downregulates Reticulon 3 Protein Exhibits Potent Antiviral Activity Against Zika Virus. J Med Virol. 2025;97:e70605. PubMed           Abstract available J Virol TSUJINO S, Tsuda M, Nao N, Okumura K, et al Evolution of BA.2.86 to JN.1 reveals that functional changes in non-structural viral proteins are required for fitness of SARS-CoV-2. J Virol. 2025 Sep 23:e0090825. doi: 10.1128/jvi.00908. PubMed           Abstract available HAMMER E, Flynn C, Rossler J, Erder J, et al Prediction of COVID-19 disease pr...

  Am J Med WAHID L, Kwon T, Kreuziger LB, Kasthuri RS, et al Extended Thromboprophylaxis in Patients Hospitalized with COVID-19 at Time of Discharge is Not Associated with Improvement in Quality of Life. Am J Med. 2025;138:1464-1468. PubMed           Abstract available Biochem Biophys Res Commun ZHANG L, Li Y, Ye K, Wang P, et al Article I. metformin affects H1N1-induced apoptosis in lung epithelial cells by the miR-130a-5p-regulated PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2025;782:152526. PubMed           Abstract available J Gen Virol HA Y, Lee YH, Jo HS, Kwon TW, et al Susceptibility of different mouse strains to SARS-CoV-2 spike receptor-binding domain protein-induced lung inflammation: a comparative study. J Gen Virol. 2025;106. PubMed           Abstract available J Infect Dis GAILLET A, Layese R, Fourati S, Celante H, et al Clinical Phenotype...

  {Summary} Time Period: September 14, 2025 - September 20, 2025 -- H5 Detection :  3 sites ( 0.7% ) -- No Detection :  429 sites ( 99.3% ) -- No samples in last week :  33 sites (...) Source: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,  https://www.cdc.gov/nwss/rv/wwd-h5.html ____

{Di Donna Dewhurst - This image originates from the National Digital Library of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service,   https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=269880 } The affected wild animals {Anatidae spp.} belonged to a conservation foundation; they got sick after sharing water bodies with migratory birds. Location: Izabal Region. Source: WOAH,  https://wahis.woah.org/#/in-review/6814 ____

  {Summary} -- During current surveillance week (from 18 to 24 Sept. '25), 33 new confirmed human cases of West Nile Virus have been detected.  -- Since the beginning of the epidemic season , there have been 680 cases in total , (they were 647 last week); of these:  - 321 were West Nile Neuroinvasive Disease (WNND): 15 in Piedmont, 44 Lombardy, 27 Veneto, 2 Friuli-Venezia Giulia, 1 Liguria, 25 Emilia-Romagna, 8 Tuscany, 1 Marche, 83 Latium, 2 Molise, 79 Campania, 2 Apulia, 2 Basilicata, 5 Calabria, 1 Sicily, 24 Sardinia),  - 54 were asymptomatic cases in blood donors ,  - 296 were West Nile Fever cases (1 imported from Kenya , 1 Egypt and 1 Maldives ),  - 3 asymptomatic cases,   - 6 unspecified cases.  --  Among confirmed cases , there were 48 deaths : 7 in Piedmont, 5 Lombardy, 2 Emilia-Romagna, 17 Latium, 14 Campania, 2 Calabria, 1 Sardinia.  - The Case-Fatality Rate among WNND cases was 14.9% (it was 20% in 2018 and 14% in 2024)....

  {Excerpt} Highly pathogenic avian influenza caused by H5N1 viruses emerged in East Asia in the late 1990s and spread to Europe, Africa, and the Middle East , circulating in wild and domestic birds and occasionally spilling over into mammals and humans . These viruses are classified into genetic lineages called clades based on differences in the gene encoding hemagglutinin , a key surface protein involved in cell entry. In 2021, one such lineage, clade 2.3.4.4b , crossed from Europe to Canada . It spread rapidly, reaching the southern tip of South America in less than 2 years and causing massive mortality in seabirds and marine mammals , including South American sea lions (Otaria flavescens) and southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) (1). However, human mortality has been markedly lower in the present H5N1 outbreak than in past ones. If the virus evolves the capacity to transmit from human to human, understanding this reduction will be essential for mounting an effective respo...

  Abstract Influenza virus cross-subtype antibodies targeting the hemagglutinin (HA) head are rare . Here, we found that a large proportion of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) isolated from individuals immunized with the 2021-22 seasonal influenza vaccine bound to an epitope on the HA head of both the H1N1 vaccine strain and H3N2 strains from the mid-1990s. These H1/H3 cross-reactive antibodies were also found in polyclonal sera , but only in samples from individuals born in the 1990s . Ferrets sequentially exposed to an H3N2 virus from the 1990s and a contemporary seasonal influenza vaccine produced the same type of H1/H3 cross-reactive antibodies. We found evidence that H1N1 viruses are currently evolving within the human population to abrogate the binding of these antibodies . Together, our study demonstrates how prior influenza virus exposures can influence the specificity of antibodies elicited by entirely different influenza virus subtypes, and how viruses evolve to escape these ...

  Summary -- What is already known about this topic? -  Influenza-associated encephalopathy (IAE) is a rare, severe neurologic complication of influenza. -- What is added by this report? - During the high-severity 2024–25 influenza season, 109 U.S. pediatric IAE cases were identified; 55% of affected children were previously healthy . Thirty-seven IAE cases were subcategorized as acute necrotizing encephalopathy (ANE), a severe form of IAE characterized by rapid neurologic decline and a poor prognosis . Overall, 74% of IAE patients were admitted to an intensive care unit , and 19% died ; 41% of ANE patients died. Only 16% of vaccine-eligible IAE patients had received the 2024–25 influenza vaccine. -- What are the implications for public health practice? - All children are at risk for severe neurologic complications of influenza . Annual influenza vaccination is recommended for all children aged ≥6 months to prevent influenza and associated complications, potentially including ...

  A poultry farm in Gyeonggi-do Region. Source: WOAH,  https://wahis.woah.org/#/in-review/6805 ___