"The prospect of an outbreak of avian influenza among dairy cattle triggering a pandemic in humans is one step closer than scientists thought. New research shows that cow udder cells can be infected with human flu and bird flu viruses at the same time, which means the viruses could exchange genes and generate novel strains that would be better adapted to infecting people. The risk of this happening is low, but if it does, the consequences could be severe, experts say."
"H5N1 avian influenza is widespread in wild birds, and there have been many outbreaks in poultry since 2020. In the U.S., a highly infectious form of the virus has also spread through dairy cattle herds, and 70 cases in people have been detected since February 2024. One of those human cases was fatal. Virologists have been concerned about bird flu for decades because it has such a high mortality rate in humans."
Co-infection of cow udder cells by human and avian influenza viruses is possible, allowing viral gene exchange and the emergence of novel strains better adapted to humans. H5N1 avian influenza is widespread in wild birds and has caused many poultry outbreaks since 2020. A highly infectious H5N1 strain has spread through U.S. dairy cattle herds, with 70 human cases detected since February 2024, including one fatality. H5N1 has a high human mortality rate overall, with 976 reported human cases globally between 2003 and May 2025, nearly half fatal. Continued cattle circulation could increase mammalian adaptation and pandemic risk.
Read at www.scientificamerican.com
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