Avian flu in raw cow milk decimates Texas farm cats

A distressing event unfolded at a dairy farm in Texas, where over half of the resident cats succumbed after consuming raw milk from cows found to be infected with bird flu. This incident occurred shortly after the US Department of Agriculture identified the first bird flu case in cows.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) detailed in a recent report that a group of domestic cats at a Texas farm died from a severe form of bird flu. These cats had ingested raw milk from the infected cows, and symptoms appeared shortly after. The affected cats exhibited signs such as watery eyes and noses, disorientation, stiffness, and eventual loss of vision and coordination, leading to their deaths.

This situation has emerged amidst an ongoing bird flu outbreak in the US, which started in late 2021. In March, bird flu was confirmed in cows for the first time, with outbreaks reported on several farms in Kansas and Texas, later spreading to Michigan, Idaho, and Ohio due to cattle transport.

The CDC found significant amounts of the virus in the brains and lungs of the deceased cats, indicating a severe systemic infection. The symptoms in the cows were less specific, typically showing as general sickness, reduced eating, and a sudden decrease in milk production. However, the consumption of the contaminated raw milk led to fatal outcomes for the cats.

A team led by pathologist Eric Burrough suggested that while other sources of infection could not be entirely excluded, the evidence strongly points to the unpasteurized milk as the primary transmission route given the high viral loads detected in it.

In light of these findings, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) analyzed retail milk samples, detecting bird flu fragments in about 20% of them. Although they reassured the public that pasteurized milk is safe, they advised against consuming raw milk during this outbreak.

Currently, bird flu has been confirmed in dairy herds across nine states, with one farm worker reported to have contracted the virus. Despite the ongoing safety of the commercial milk supply as indicated by the FDA, the presence of the influenza virus in raw cow’s milk poses significant concerns about the potential for cross-species transmission of the virus.