tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Viruses
. 2025 Sep 28;17(10):1318.
doi: 10.3390/v17101318. Pasteurized Milk Serves as a Passive Surveillance Tool for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus in Dairy Cattle
Abhinay Gontu[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Manoj K Sekhwal[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Anastacia Diaz Huemme[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Lingling Li[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Sophia Kutsaya[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Michael Ling[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Nidhi Kajal Doshi[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Maurice Byukusenge[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Ruth H Nissly[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
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 limitations of retail milk as a surveillance window. Together, these findings provide evidence that influenza A virus RNA can be repeatedly detected in retail milk in patterns linked to specific supply chains, with genomic data confirming close relationships with the viruses circulating in cattle.
Keywords: H5N1; cattle; genome sequencing; highly pathogenic avian influenza virus; milk.
. 2025 Sep 28;17(10):1318.
doi: 10.3390/v17101318. Pasteurized Milk Serves as a Passive Surveillance Tool for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus in Dairy Cattle
Abhinay Gontu[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Manoj K Sekhwal[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Anastacia Diaz Huemme[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Lingling Li[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Sophia Kutsaya[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Michael Ling[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Nidhi Kajal Doshi[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Maurice Byukusenge[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Ruth H Nissly[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 41157590
- PMCID: PMC12568113
- DOI: 10.3390/v17101318
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 limitations of retail milk as a surveillance window. Together, these findings provide evidence that influenza A virus RNA can be repeatedly detected in retail milk in patterns linked to specific supply chains, with genomic data confirming close relationships with the viruses circulating in cattle.
Keywords: H5N1; cattle; genome sequencing; highly pathogenic avian influenza virus; milk.