Bird flu alarm sounds again: Florida dolphins found infected

[New Sancai Compilation and First Release] H5N1 "bird flu" made headlines this week, with a new report finding that the inactive virus was detected in one-fifth of U.S. milk samples.

That means the virus is infecting mammals like dairy cows, and now researchers report it has been found in bottlenose dolphins in Florida.

"We still don't know where the dolphins contracted the virus from, and more research is needed," said study co-author Richard Webby. He is director of the World Health Organization's Collaborating Center for Ecological Research on Animal and Avian Influenza in St. Jude.

Scientists are increasingly concerned that avian influenza has jumped from birds to many mammalian species, raising the possibility that it will mutate into strains that can easily infect humans.

Currently, H5N1 is extremely rare in humans and only appears after long-term exposure to infected animals. But when people become infected with the virus, half of the time it is fatal.

That's why the emergence of the H5N1 virus in another mammal is even more alarming.

Webby and colleagues recently reported in the journal Communications Biology that the University of Florida (UF) Marine Animal Rescue Team was alerted to a bottlenose dolphin in distress in Dixie County, Florida.

During the autopsy of the dead dolphin, university scientists, working with experts from the Bronson Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in Kissimmee, Florida, documented the presence of avian influenza virus in the animal's lungs and brain.

Other laboratories further confirmed the presence of the H5N1 virus. Its genome was compared to viruses from local birds and a population of Northeastern seals. However, it is unclear where the dolphins became infected.

"This investigation is an important step in understanding this virus," said study co-author Dr. Mike Walsh, associate professor of aquatic animal health at the University of Florida.

(Compiled by: Wang Jimin)

(Editor: Jiang Qiming)

(Source of the article: Compiled and published by New Sancai)