(ORDO NEWS) — Despite the recent discovery of avian influenza in mammals, including foxes, otters, minks, seals and grizzly bears, the virus must mutate significantly for the risk of its spread to humans to be significant, scientists say.
The discovery of the avian influenza virus in mammals means that it has acquired mutations that allow it to replicate in the cells of new animal species.
Until now, the virus has rarely been transmitted to mammals, and only a few cases of human infection are known.
However, since the end of 2021, the largest panzootic – a global epidemic of infection among animals – has been recorded in Europe, which has led to the death of tens of thousands of wild birds.
The outbreak, which is still ongoing, could be caused by a new strain of H5N1 that spreads very efficiently among migratory birds, experts say.
Infection with the mammalian virus is attributed to animals eating infected birds, and cases of transmission of avian influenza among mammals have not yet been confirmed.
For example, an outbreak of H5N1 with a PB2 mutation on a Spanish farm in October 2022 led to the culling of more than 50,000 minks.
The researchers showed that there could be transmission of the virus to other minks on the farm.
In general, mammals can serve as intermediate hosts in which avian influenza can recombine with viruses that infect humans.
There are observing systems in Europe and North America that monitor the spread of H5N1 and its potential transmission to humans.
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