Waukeshahealthinsurance.com-
–
H5N1 bird flu was first identified in pigs in the United States US Department of Agriculture said Wednesday.
USDA and Oregon veterinary officials are investigating bird flu cases on backyard farms, including poultry and livestock and pigs, the agency said.
“The animals and poultry on this farm share water sources, housing and equipment; in other regions, this combination has allowed transmission between animals,” he said in a news release.
Five pigs were taken for testing after H5N1 was detected in other animals on the farm; Two tested negative, and results are still pending for two others. The farm has been identified and other animals are under surveillance. However, it was not a commercial farm, and “there is no threat to the nation's pork supply as a result of this finding,” USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said.
It is H5N1. A type of influenza that is rare in humans but highly contagious and deadly in a variety of animal species, including poultry and dairy cattle, raises concerns about the possibility of a human virus.
Scientists are concerned that H5N1 could spread to pigs, which are considered the “mixing bowl” of flu viruses because humans and birds carry the same receptors on cells in their lungs. Some influenza viruses previously found in pigs have allowed them to mutate rapidly and develop new abilities. In the year The 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic is believed to be caused by a virus Changed in pigs in Mexico Before jumping to people.
Across America, More than two dozen people have died of HIV this year. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Some infectious disease experts said they want more clarity on the nature of the swine issue in Oregon. Dr. Michael Osterholm was wondering if the virus was based on the nose of the pig or if there was evidence of a deeper infection in the lungs.
“I think you're using the word 'infection' prematurely, because it could just be an infection of the nasal area. And we need to get that, that information,” said Osterholm, an infectious disease expert who directs the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.
He pointed out that A study published in 2023Researchers infected pigs with HIV by washing their noses with the virus and feeding them contaminated food. Only one of the eight pigs tested with the virus later showed evidence of the infection in their blood, suggesting the pigs had a “high resistance” to the infection, the study authors wrote.
Get Health's weekly newsletter
Osterholm said scientists are happy to conduct more studies on the animals in the near future to learn more.
Veterinarians who monitor animal-to-human infections said it would not be surprising if pigs were infected on the same farm as infected birds.
Dr. Scott Weiss, a veterinarian and chief of infection control at the University of Guelph in Ontario, told in an email: “Sequencing the virus will be important, but it's likely a bird species that's circulating.” “I'm more concerned if this is related to a dairy cow because the spread from mammal to mammal would be more of a concern.
“I think it's a dead-end spill, but it highlights the potential issues” of contaminating different species on farms, Weiss said.
“These cases would be more likely to be transmitted from pig to pig in large commercial farms,” and there would be a greater chance of other flu viruses being present and exchanging genes, he said.