Cats May Carry Deadly Bird Flu To Humans, Study Warns

A new study has warned that pet cats can become unexpected carriers of bird flu that has ravaged poultry farms in the US for the last two and a half years. The deadly strain of avian influenza, often referred to as H5N1 has been the cause of death of more than 100 million birds and although it does not spread easily among humans, scientists have rung the warning bell. The study, published in the journal Taylor and Francis states that one or two mutations in cats would allow the virus strain to easily hop onto humans.

After 10 cats died at a South Dakota residence in April, earlier this year, the researchers analysed their bodies which showed the furry animals had been showing signs of respiratory and neurological problems. Upon further analysis, the virus found in the cats closely resembled a version seen in cattle on a dairy farm, some 80 kilometres away. The presence of bird feathers near the bodies of cats indicated that they may have eaten the wild birds, who had carried the virus off the farm.

The study found that unlike other animals, cats carry two receptors to which the bird flu virus and the seasonal flu virus can bind easily. As the flu season picks pace, there are fears that cats could simultaneously be infected with H5N1 and seasonal flu virus. The resulting mutation would allow cats, who are around humans frequently, to pass on the bird flu virus.

"Infected cats develop systemic infections and shed the virus through both respiratory and digestive tracts, potentially creating multiple routes of exposure to humans. Furthermore, the ability of the virus to persist and adapt in mammalian hosts heightens the risk of evolving into strains with increased transmissibility, posing an emerging zoonotic threat with profound public health implications," the study highlighted.

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Surveillance necessary

Although there is no evidence yet that cats have transmitted H5N1 to humans, the scientists warned that urgent surveillance was necessary to keep the situation in check which might be getting worse in "plain sight".

"In the process of addressing the immediate problem which is dairy farms and the milk as a food safety problem, and then human surveillance - we might be missing a much bigger, evolving story. It may already have been happening in plain sight," said Dr Suresh Kuchipudi, one of the authors of the paper.

A recent study at the Scripps Research Institute in California suggested that the time, the bird flu virus could adapt faster, raising concerns about the possibility of a pandemic.