Abstract Title
Disease dynamics in lactating cows experimentally infected by highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus
Abstract
In March 2024, highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 was detected in Texas dairy cattle. Since then, outbreaks have occurred on over 300 dairy farms in the USA in addition to spillback to commercial poultry operations and a few documented cases of transmission to agricultural workers. This unprecedented spillover event in ruminants underscores the capacity of HPAI H5N1 virus to further expand into a new host.
To better understand the infection and disease dynamics, viral dissemination and shedding to the environment, and immune response developed to infection, we inoculated lactating cows with HPAI H5N1 Texas isolate into the mammary gland via the teat canal. Milk, nasal swabs, blood, urine, feces from infected cows and air samplers strategically positioned to capture bioaerosols generated during livestock activity such as milking, are collected and analyzed. Thus far, we observed that inoculated cows experienced clinical symptoms including reduced feed intake, decreased milk production and milk quality, and high levels of virus in milk and mammary tissue. We established a dairy cow disease model for HPAI H5N1, we also revealed how the virus disseminates in vivo after primary entry. Moreover, we gained new insight into the protective immune response generated by natural immunity.
To better understand the infection and disease dynamics, viral dissemination and shedding to the environment, and immune response developed to infection, we inoculated lactating cows with HPAI H5N1 Texas isolate into the mammary gland via the teat canal. Milk, nasal swabs, blood, urine, feces from infected cows and air samplers strategically positioned to capture bioaerosols generated during livestock activity such as milking, are collected and analyzed. Thus far, we observed that inoculated cows experienced clinical symptoms including reduced feed intake, decreased milk production and milk quality, and high levels of virus in milk and mammary tissue. We established a dairy cow disease model for HPAI H5N1, we also revealed how the virus disseminates in vivo after primary entry. Moreover, we gained new insight into the protective immune response generated by natural immunity.
Co-Author(s)
Antonio Facciuolo 1, Lauren Aubrey 1, Ulises Barron 1, Nathalie Berube 1, Natalia Pessoa 1, Leslie Macas 1, Carla Norleen 1, Shannon McCreary 1, Samira Mubareka 2, Alisson McGeer 3, Yohannes Berhane4, Kanta Subbarao 5Andrew Van Kessel 1, Volker Gerdts 1, Bryce Warner 1 and Yan Zhou 1
1 Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada, S7N 5E3
2 Sunnybrook Health Science Centre, Toronto, ON Canada M4N 3M5
3 Infectious Disease Research, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, ON M5G 1X5
4 National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease, Winnipeg, MB R3E 3M4, Canada
5 CHU Québec et Université Laval, Québec, QC, G1V 4G2, Canada
Abstract Category
Avian influenza in mammals, pandemic preparedness, and one health