Iowa Public Radio When bird flu spilled over into dairy cattle last year, researchers discovered high concentrations of the H5N1 virus in the raw milk and udders of infected cows. A new study shows the mammary glands of other livestock and humans could also be suitable hosts for the virus.
Millions of wild birds, chickens and turkeys in the U.S. have been affected by the highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus since 2022. Last year, it spilled over into dairy cows for the first time and has since spread to over 1,000 herds.
Todd Bell, professor of veterinary pathology at Iowa State University, was part of the research team that discovered the “lock-and-key” mechanism allowing H5N1 to infect cells in cow udders.