Understanding HPAI Transmission Risk on Dairy Farms

Oct 20, 2025

Beginning in early 2024, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has been detected in U.S. dairy herds, threatening milk production. Yet little is known about how the virus spreads in cows. The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) and Michigan State University (MSU) are investing $225,201 into a Rapid Outcomes from Agricultural Research (ROAR) grant to understand how HPAI is transmitted in dairy cows.

Infected dairy cows experience sudden drops in milk production, lowering milk quality and causing significant economic losses for farmers. Cases of HPAI have also been observed spilling over from cattle to dairy workers. The level of risk for dairy workers from this novel spillover transmission poses and how it occurs is still under study.

Researchers led by Dr. Catalina Picasso, MSU assistant professor of large animal clinical sciences at the College of Veterinary Medicine, are detecting and quantifying the risk of environmental HPAI transmission for animals and humans by mapping results from animals and air samples collected at dairy farms experiencing cases of avian influenza.

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Video: Causal Impact Of PRRS Dosing - Dr. Edison Magalhaes

In this episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Edison Magalhaes from Iowa State University presents findings from a large-scale retrospective cohort study evaluating the causal impact of full-dose PRRS immunization on nursery mortality. Using production data and advanced analytical methods, he explains how confounding factors changed the interpretation of results and highlights practical lessons for veterinarians and producers making data-driven decisions. Listen now on all major platforms!

Click here to read the full research article: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles...

"Raw production data can mislead immunization decisions when confounding factors hide the real value of full-dose PRRS protocols."

Meet the guest: Dr. Edison Magalhaes / edison-magalhaes-9b37b812a is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Animal Science at Iowa State University and holds degrees in Veterinary Medicine, Business Administration, and advanced training through MSc and PhD programs. His research applies data science and epidemiological methods to large scale swine production systems, helping transform production records into practical decisions for health and performance. Listen to The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast featuring Dr. Edison Magalhaes on all major platforms.