H5N1 Flu

A patient in Louisiana who tested positive for bird flu has died, marking the first US fatality linked to the respiratory virus.

The US has reported its first human death from avian influenza H5N1 in a person who had been admitted to hospital in Louisiana after being exposed to a non-commercial backyard flock and wild birds.1 The patient was over 65 and reported to have underlying medical conditions. “The department expresses its deepest condolences to the patient’s family and friends. …

In early 2024, an unprecedented outbreak of H5N1 high pathogenicity avian influenza was detected in dairy cattle in the USA. The epidemic remains uncontrolled, with spillbacks into poultry, wild birds and other mammals including humans. Here, we present molecular and virological evidence that the cattle B3.13 genotype H5N1 viruses rapidly accumulated adaptations in polymerase genes that enabled better replication in bovine cells, as well as cells of other mammalian species including humans and pigs. We find evidence of several mammalian adaptations gained early in the evolution of these viruses in cattle including PB2 M631L, which is found in all cattle sequences, and PA K497R, which is found in the majority. Structurally, PB2 M631L maps to the polymerase-ANP32 interface, an essential host factor for viral genome replication. We show this mutation adapts the virus to co-opt bovine ANP32 proteins and thereby enhances virus replication in bovine and primary human airway cells. Importantly, we show that ongoing evolution during 2024 in the PB2 gene, including a convergently arising D740N substitution, further increases polymerase activity in a range of mammalian cells. Thus, the continued circulation of H5N1 in dairy cattle allows virus adaption improving replicative ability in cattle and increasing zoonotic spillover risk. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.

A veterinary disease expert says more than half of the raw milk produced in the U.S. is now being tested for the H5N1 avian influenza virus. Dr. Keith Poulsen with the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory tells Brownfield progress is being made towards USDA’s goal of testing all raw milk for the virus. “Over 50% of […]

Louisiana's health department says the 65-year-old patient had underlying health conditions.

PAHO The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has launched an interactive dashboard to monitor avian influenza A(H5N1) cases in the Americas. This tool is designed to improve access to…

Outside the United States, more than 950 cases of H5N1 bird flu have been reported to the World Health Organization; about half of those have resulted in death, the CDC noted.

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The global poultry industry is currently grappling with a crisis of unprecedented scale. Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has been wreaking havoc

The first human death linked to bird flu has been reported in the United States, health authorities in Louisiana announced Monday, while noting the patient had underlying medical conditions.

The risk to the general population from H5N1 bird flu remains low, a World Health Organization spokesperson said on Tuesday, following the first death of a patient from the virus in the United States.

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A Louisiana patient is the first person in the United States to die as a result of H5N1 infection. One expert likens what happens next to Russian roulette.

With 66 human cases and one death from bird flu in the current outbreak, there are several ways Americans could become sick.

Unique duck rearing practice in irrigated rice paddy fields driving recurrent H5N1 Avian Influenza outbreaks in two districts of Kerala, India

Since late 2021, a panzootic of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus has driven significant morbidity and mortality in wild birds, domestic poultry, and mammals. In North America, infections in novel avian and mammalian species suggest the potential for changing ecology and establishment of …

Per Research Letter article type, we are not including an abstract.

Any existing herd health problems are amplified by HPAI H5N1, practitioners report. Across the U.S., they are asking regulatory agencies for more consistent testing and reporting protocols. They are also encouraging producers to invest dollars in better nutrition and cow comfort resources.

Patient was over age 65 and reported to have underlying medical conditions, state health department says

A patient in Louisiana who had been hospitalized with the first human case of highly pathogenic avian influenza, or bird flu, has died, health officials said Monday.

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A patient in Louisiana has died of bird flu. Health authorities considered the case to be the first severe H5N1 infection in a U.S. resident.

A patient who had been hospitalized with bird flu has died of the disease, the Louisiana Department of Public Health reported Monday.

The Louisiana Department of Health confirmed the first human bird flu death in the United States on Monday.

The first person to have a severe case of H5N1 bird flu in the United States has died, according to the Louisiana Department of Health.

A U.S. patient who had been hospitalized with H5N1 bird flu has died, the Louisiana Department of Health said on Monday, marking the country's first reported human death from the virus.

The deceased was over 65 and had other medical conditions, state officials said.

The first U.S. bird flu death has been reported

The patient, who was older than 65 and had underlying medical conditions, was hospitalized weeks ago in critical condition with severe respiratory illness.

Louisiana health officials announced the death on Monday.