Milking Might Spread Bird Flu Between Cows

Sep 27, 2024

Milking procedures are likely to be the primary routes of H5N1 influenza virus transmission between dairy cows, suggests a paper published in Nature this week.

Highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza was detected in cattle in the U.S. in the spring of 2024 and has affected more than 190 dairy cattle farms in at least 13 states. Milking equipment may be a likely route of transmission, but more detailed evaluation is needed.

Jürgen Richt, Martin Beer and colleagues experimentally infected calves and lactating cows with H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b, currently circulating in cattle in the U.S., to provide insight about likely modes of transmission. They compared susceptibility and transmission in nine calves infected via the oral and nasal cavity, and three lactating cows via inoculation of the mammary glands; an additional three dairy cows were inoculated with a strain of bird flu circulating in Europe (H5N1 euDG).

Infection of the calves resulted in mild clinical presentation, with moderate viral replication but no transmission to co-housed calves. By contrast, the dairy cows displayed severe mammary gland infection, including fever, mastitis and abrupt reduction in milk yield.

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Video: Sweetener Effects on Gut Health - Dr. Kwangwook Kim

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Kwangwook Kim, Assistant Professor at Michigan State University, discusses the use of non-nutritive sweeteners in nursery pig diets. He explains how sucralose and neotame influence feed intake, gut health, metabolism, and the frequency of diarrhea compared to antibiotics. The conversation highlights mechanisms beyond palatability, including hormone signaling and nutrient transport. Listen now on all major platforms!

“Receptors responsible for sweet taste are present not only in the mouth but also along the intestinal tract.”

Meet the guest: Dr. Kwangwook Kim / kwangwook-kim is an Assistant Professor at Michigan State University, specializing in swine nutrition and feed additives under disease challenge models. He earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in Animal Sciences from the University of California, Davis, where he focused on intestinal health and metabolic responses in pigs. His research evaluates alternatives to antibiotics, targeting gut health and performance in nursery pigs.