Prof. Peirong Jiao team from South China Agricultural University found 🦠 #H5N1 avian influenza virus PB2 antagonizes duck IFN-β signaling pathway by targeting mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein
🦠https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jia.2023.12.040

Spreadsheet showing highly pathogenic avian influenza cases in Minnesota over September.

New #H5N1 genotypes reported!

Minnesota's recent turkey cases were reported as a mix of D-type reassortants, including the D1.1 strain that was prevalent in wild birds last year, along with two newly named strains, D1.5 and D1.6.
#H5N1

Diagnostic Tools, Gaps, and Collaborative Pathways in Human H5N1 Detection: Rapid Expert Consultation Read online, download a free PDF.

It was a pleasure to have worked with @rickabright.bsky.social @vsmoeder.bsky.social & @nationalacademies.org to put together this rapid consultation report on "Diagnostic Tools, Gaps, and Collaborative Pathways in Human #H5N1 Detection"

nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/29273

The Challenge Facing the Legal Commentariat at the Present Time Legal experts play a leadership role in the democracy debate but always do best when resisting the powerful pressures of polarization and ideology.

open.substack.com/pub/executiv...

Canada’s Supreme Court will decide fate of ostrich flock hit by bird flu Farmers and supporters—including RFK Jr. and Dr. Oz—urge government to spare birds that survived H5N1 outbreak

An ostrich flock, H5N1, culling policy, Canada’s Supreme Court, farmers, biotechs, hair growth and weight loss products, opponents of government overreach, animal rights activists, RFK Jr., Dr. Oz, the Royal Mounted Canadian Police. Read all about it. www.science.org/content/arti...

Childhood immunological imprinting of cross-subtype antibodies targeting the hemagglutinin head domain of influenza viruses 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...

I'm proud of our new study showing that some people born in the 1990s have high levels of antibodies that cross-react to H3 viruses from the 1990s and....contemporary H1N1 viruses. Such a surprising story led by Grace Li, in collaboration with many Penn-CEIRR labs. 1/
www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...

Multivariable analysis of highly pathogenic H5N1 and H5Nx avian influenza in wild birds and poultry in Asian subregions

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

New comment

Detection of #H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b in external quality assessment programmes: a #pandemic preparedness initiative

www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

#IDSky #ClinMicro #ViroSky #Influenza #OpenAccess #OA

This review of available studies suggests exposure of the digestive system to HPAI A(H5N1) viruses represents a potential non-respiratory route for infection in people and other mammals.

avian influenza A(H5N1) viruses may cause infection in mammals and have potential to cause infection in humans if the digestive tract were exposed to A(H5N1) viruses or virus-contaminated products.

The cow udder is a potential mixing vessel for influenza A viruses The incursion of high pathogenicity avian influenza A virus (IAV) into US dairy cows is unprecedented in the era of molecular diagnosis and pathogen sequencing. This raises questions over the likeliho...

The cow udder may be a mixing vessel where different strains of influenza can recombine--"underscoring its potential role in generating novel influenza viruses with pandemic risk." [Preprint] www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

I was starting to believe the H5N1 outbreak from dairy cattle was winding down.
I was wrong.
I hadn’t detected H5N1 in CA wastewater in 6 months, and then 4 samples in a row came up positive. The sequences were all B3.13 (the dairy cattle lineage).
1/

Bonus points to anyone who can spot the mistake in this chart! Extra credit to fine a similar mistake!!

UK Reports 2 More Confirmed HPAI H5 Outbreaks #18,833 Ten days ago, in  The UK's Summer HPAI H5 Surge In Poultry , we looked at an unexpected increase in HPAI H5 outbreaks in poultry (...

AFD Blog `UK Reports 2 More Confirmed HPAI H5 Outbreaks' #H5N1 afludiary.blogspot.com/2025/08/uk-r...

Genotype B3.13 influenza A(H5N1) viruses isolated from dairy cattle demonstrate high virulence in laboratory models, but retain avian virus-like properties - Nature Communications Bovine H5N1 viruses are lethal in laboratory animals, but they retain avian traits including limited transmission. Their responsiveness to approved antivirals and candidate vaccines lowers human risk,...

«Critically, while the bovine A(H5N1) 2.3.4.4b viruses tested were pathogenic and highly virulent in inoculated mice and ferrets, we observed some contact transmission but no airborne transmission in a ferret model.»

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

#h5n1

«Conclusions:We present statistical alternatives based on mortality data to describe the underlying epidemic dynamic in Kazakhstan and the most accurate number of infected individuals in Kazakhstan.»

www.mdpi.com/1648-9144/58...

#covid19

A triangular road safety sign warning of cows

What we found was that in *any* situation where you might encounter unpasteurised milk containing H5N1, there will be a risk that the virus is still infectious. It hangs around for over a day at room temp (e.g. in dairies) and for over a week in the fridge (e.g. if you purchase 'raw' milk)...

Woodcut of a sheep (Ed Hutchinson, 2025). The sheep is peering through a square frame. It seems to be smiling - this is probably because it is a Herdwick and they look like that, but it could also be because it knows that sheep are not, currently, a host for H5N1 influenza

This is consistent with other group's findings (which we discuss). In addition, in response to an (isolated) case in which H5N1 was detected in the milk of a sheep in the UK we did the same experiments with sheep milk. Same result - the virus stays infectious for a long time...

Pasteurisation temperatures effectively inactivate influenza A viruses in milk - Nature Communications In response to the emergence of H5N1 influenza A viruses as a novel pathogen of cattle, this study shows that pasteurisation of cows’ milk should effectively inactivate the virus, but that it remains ...

H5N1 in cattle is restricted to the USA, for now. Importantly, we (and others) have shown that pasteurisation works very well at killing influenza viruses, so the current study is most relevant for people in the USA who work in dairies or who choose to consume raw milk
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Sequencing of H9N2 in poultry and wild birds in Kazakhstan 2014-20. Viruses clustered with h9.4.2.5/Y280 & h9.2/Y439 lineage, similar to those from Russia, China. Molecular markers for mammalian infectivity.
👉 www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/17...

Likely, because no policy to stop gouging. The #Resistance will now chant: the economy, stupid!

peri.umass.edu/wp-content/u...

«Richard Webby, an infectious disease expert at St. Jude’s Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., said the discovery of the mutation wasn’t alarming in and of itself.

“This mutation has sporadically popped up in other mammal infections over the past few years,” he said. “It’s an easy change for the H5 viruses

Webby is the Level headed scientist to follow here: «Richard Webby, a virologist at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, in Memphis, Tenn., said that the mutation “on its own is not a game changing worry for me.”» #h5n1

It is worth paying close attention to the new bill "Dangerous Viral Gain of Function Research Moratorium Act" introduced by Senator Roger Marshall.

If enacted, it will effectively stop all of virological research, including for vaccines.

www.marshall.senate.gov/wp-content/u...

🧵👇

The H5N1 virus detected in US cattle & a human case in Wyoming now carry the D701N & E672K mutations both known to help the virus adapt better to humans. These genetic changes raise serious concerns about increased transmission, making it easier for the virus to spread among mammals, including humans. With H5N1 continuing to evolve, the risk of a wider outbreak is growing. Bird flu is becoming a serious public health threat.

Okay, so.

I don’t know how much of a heads up this is when it’s just a notice about these 2 mutations. Do they really raise serious concerns about “increased transmission?”

Sort of. It’s more complex than D701N & E626K, omg pandemic bird flu.

What do these mutations do in H5N1?

March issue of The Lancet Microbe will be online next week, but you can read our editorial already.

Timing and molecular characterisation of the transmission to cattle of H5N1 influenza A virus genotype D1.1, clade 2.3.4.4b Jonathan E. Pekar, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK Thomas P. Peacock, The Pirbright Institute, Woking, UK, GU24 0NF; Department of Infectious Disease, Imper...

Our analysis of the second incursion of H5N1 viruses (genotype D1.1) into dairy cattle in the US is now posted to virological virological.org/t/timing-and...

🦝 OK Bluesky fliers: 4 black rats from #RiversideCo. infected w/ #H5N1 #BirdFlu per USDA/APHIS website. I asked the county how it came to be the rats were tested. Part of typical surveillance? Were they acting funny? Riverside Co punted to USDA. USDA is unresponsive. Anyone have intel?🦝

Avian flu ‘would dwarf the COVID pandemic in terms of impact,’ researcher says For scientist Dr. Richard Webby, the biggest ‘uh-oh’ moment was when the virus infected cows

When Richard Webby shows concern, we should all be terrified. www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...

BREAKING — I've confirmed the DOGE staffers at SSA. They are Marko Elez (who was previously fired for racist posts and then reinstated), Ethan Shaotran, Nikhil Rajpal, and Gautier Cole-Killian.

This is per Social Security Works, a non-profit working to protect/expand Social Security.