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Scientists are investigating the possibility that bird flu has spread among wild mammals for the first time, fueling concerns that it could lead to the next human pandemic.
More than 700 seals were found dead in the Caspian Sea in December in what has been dubbed a “mass mortality event.” The Caspian Sea is near where the highly contagious H5N1 variant of bird flu was found in wild birds months ago.
Scientists at the State University of Dagestan have identified avian influenza in the tissues of dead seals, but it is too early to tell whether it was the cause of death or whether it was transmitted between animals.
The situation is being monitored by the UK government, Me It turns out that Defra and the UK Health Security Agency are getting regular updates.
While individual seals and other mammals have been infected with avian influenza directly from birds before, the only known case of mammal-to-mammal transmission has been captive-raised mink on farms in Spain. recorded only between
If the H5N1 mutant adapts to transmit between mammals, virologists fear it could evolve further and become transmissible between humans, causing a pandemic.
There is currently no evidence that the virus can pass between humans. A year ago, he said, since the latest H5N1 pandemic began, he has fewer than 10 people infected with the virus through close contact with poultry and other birds, and one of her deaths. Only one person has been reported.
But samples from four mink caught with H5N1 that occurred on a mink farm in Galicia, northwestern Spain, in October reveal changes in the virus, including a mutation called T271A that allows it to replicate more readily in mammalian tissues. bottom.
If avian influenza is confirmed to have spread among seals in the Caspian Sea, it would be the first transmission among wild mammals.
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Dr Tom Peacock, a virologist at Imperial College London, said: Me: “If this turns out to be a persistent infection in a mammalian species in the wild, this is the ‘primary’ concern for these H5N1s that should not be ignored. It would be even more evidence that these H5N1s may be poised to cause the next pandemic. ”
Defra is aware of progress in the Caspian Sea and a report from the Dagestan State University of identifying avian influenza in seal tissues. Me I understand.
H5N1 has forced farmers to bring free-range turkeys and other poultry indoors since last fall, and is responsible for the deaths of millions of birds, both infected and culled, in the UK and around the world. .
In the waters around Britain, stranded seals are collected and examined for possible causes of death for diseases such as bird flu. No seals, dolphins or whales have yet tested positive for bird flu around the UK during the current outbreak, which began in December 2021, although there have been previous cases in these marine mammals.
The UK government has said the current risk to humans from bird flu is “very low”.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) advises people not to handle sick or dead poultry or other birds.
Presentation Dagestan State University said bird flu was confirmed in Caspian seals. At the same time, it is too early to conclude that the cause of death was the virus, and research is ongoing. ”
Alimurad Gadzhiev, Director of the DSU Institute for Ecology and Sustainable Development, said: Determine cause of death in December. Based on the initial results, we can say that the sample tested positive for avian influenza. ”
The incident in Dagestan Bird flu diary blog“In the past, we have seen a variety of influenza A viruses including H3N8, H10N8 and H7N7 infecting seals, but at this time HPAI H5N1 is the most obvious suspect. will be obtained.”
