H5N1 bird flu spillover to horses, raises fears of new viral strains

News-Medical.Net January 5, 2025
Hugo Francisco de Souza

Evidence of bird flu infections in horses signals a new frontier in viral spillover risks, demanding urgent action to monitor and mitigate cross-species transmission.

In a recent study published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, researchers screened samples from almost 1,000 Mongolian horses for Influenza A(H5N1). Study findings revealed that at least nine horses were asymptomatic carriers of the virus, the first confirmed evidence of bird flu infections in horses.

The study highlights the high likelihood of Influenza A virus (IAV) spillover to horses and other equids, particularly in regions like North America, where horses frequently encounter infected cows. The researchers noted that ecological conditions in these regions, such as high-density horse populations and endemic equine influenza virus (EIV), further...

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