Genetic analyses of the bird flu virus unveil its evolution and potential
ScienceNews Genetic analyses of the bird flu virus unveil its evolution and potential The virus leapt from birds to cows once but is spreading back and forth among birds and mammals by Tina Hesman Saey A flurry of reports about the genetics of the bird flu currently infecting U.S. cattle are offering insight into how the virus has and continues to spread. Since it first emerged in late 2020, this particular type of bird flu has infected a dizzying array of bird species, about 20 mammal species and some people ( SN: 3/6/23; SN: 4/3/24 ). But transmission from cow to cow and from cow to person and other animals is new. Now researchers tracing the family tree of the H5N1 avian influenza virus say that the outbreak in cattle, first reported in late March, probably started in late December 2023 ( SN: 4/25/24 ). Cases of low milk production — a symptom of infection in dairy cows — in the Texas panhandle were reported in late January and early February. The U.S. Department of Agricultu