In a recent study published in the United States (U.S.) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s Emerging Infectious Diseases Journal , researchers investigated the persistence of the highly pathogenic hemagglutinin 5 neuraminidase 1 (H5N1) avian influenza A virus from cattle and the H1N1 human influenza pdm09 pandemic virus strain in unpasteurized milk and on the surfaces of milking equipment.
Research Letter: Persistence of Influenza H5N1 and H1N1 Viruses in Unpasteurized Milk on Milking Unit Surfaces . Image Credit: OULAILAX NAKHONE / Shutterstock The highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza A virus was detected in domestic cattle in March 2024, followed by the virus outbreak in large herds in numerous states in the U.S.
and at least three confirmed infections in humans. Analysis of unpasteurized milk samples confirmed the presence of high virus levels in milk, suggesting that dairy workers exposed to unpasteurized milk were at a high risk of being infected by the H5N1 avian influenza virus. Furthermore, an increase in the number of human infections of H5N1 could also give the virus opportunities to evolve and adapt to the human host, increasing the potential human-to-human transmission rates.
Although the milking process in the dairy industry is largely automated, there are some stages where human inputs are required, which could increase the workers’ risk of exposure to the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza A virus. In the present study, the researchers .