Main points
- In the Netherlands, antibodies to H5N1 bird flu were detected in a dairy cow, but the virus was no longer secreted.
- Milk from the farm is used for pasteurized products, which effectively kills the virus, and other cows on the farm have tested negative.
Bird flu in cows / Photo Unsplash
Antibodies to the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu have been detected in a dairy cow in the Netherlands, indicating past infection. This is the first confirmed case of cattle being infected with the virus in Europe.
A cow was found to have bird flu
A dairy cow in the Netherlands has tested positive for highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu, indicating past infection, Food Safety Magazine reports. Polymerase chain reaction analysis showed that the animal was no longer shedding the virus when tested.
The farm's livestock was inspected after a cat on the farm tested positive for H5N1. An investigation by the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) showed that the cow had shown symptoms consistent with bird flu in mid-December, including mastitis and reduced milk production. The animal later made a full recovery.
Other dairy cows on the farm have tested negative for the virus, while antibody testing is ongoing. Temporary restrictions are in place on the farm while the investigation is completed.
What is the risk of disease spreading from cows?
The NVWA also took milk samples from 20 cows and from a storage tank. Milk from the farm is used exclusively for pasteurized products, as pasteurization effectively destroys the H5N1 virus. Milk from the sick cow did not enter the food chain during the period of the disease.
At the same time, the European Food Safety Authority previously stated that the risk of bird flu spreading from dairy cattle from the US to Europe is very low, but called for increased surveillance. Wageningen University notes that to identify possible zoonotic adaptations of the virus, it is necessary to isolate the virus itself, since the presence of antibodies does not allow such conclusions to be drawn.
Separately, the university reported that current studies have confirmed the effectiveness of two avian influenza vaccines in reducing mortality in poultry infected with the highly pathogenic virus, but additional experiments are needed to assess the impact of vaccination on transmission of the infection.
An outbreak of bird flu was recorded in Chernihiv region: quarantine was introduced
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In the Chernihiv region, an outbreak of avian influenza type A subtype H5N1 was recorded in the village of Zhavynka, which led to the introduction of quarantine.
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In Chernihiv region, 4 unfavorable points for animal rabies and 3 unfavorable farms for bovine leukemia have also been registered.