Cats, like pigs, may provide a bridge for the H5N1 virus to jump into humans, the study suggests.
The researchers also claimed that cats could create multiple routes for the virus to infect humans.
Cats are widely regarded as fluffy friends who brighten up your life with their companionship. However, a recent study has revealed that they are a serious health hazard. Medical experts have long identified pigs as a major public health threat. These creatures have body cells that allow viruses to mix and mutate. This may lead to the creation of new strains capable of causing human epidemics. Now a new study has come out that suggests that pet cats pose a similar risk. He claims that cats could potentially provide the bridge that enables H5N1 bird flu to mutate and make the jump to humans. The study was published earlier this month in the academic journal Taylor & Francis Online.
In this study, researchers performed autopsies on 10 cats. One of them was a six-month-old kitten that died of H5N1 in South Dakota, USA. The kitten had eaten the remains of a dead bird in April this year, leading to its death. Samples were taken from the brain, lungs and stomach of these cats. It was then discovered that their cells had receptors similar to those of pigs. This meant that they were susceptible to both mammalian and avian influenza.
The researchers also claimed that cats could create multiple routes for the virus to infect humans. “Infected cats develop systemic infections and shed virus through both the respiratory and digestive tracts, potentially creating multiple routes to humans… Furthermore, the virus has been shown to persist and adapt in mammalian hosts. The ability to do so increases the risk of becoming a strain with increased transmission, posing an emerging zoonotic threat with profound public health implications,” he said, according to multiple outlets.
Speaking further, the researchers highlighted how it has become important to monitor the spread of H5N1 virus in domestic animals. “As H5N1 viruses continue to infect a wide range of avian and mammalian hosts, including an increasing number of human cases, integrated one-health surveillance to monitor the spread of H5N1 in domestic and wild birds, animals, and humans is urgent. need,” he said.
In recent years, the avian H5N1 pandemic has killed millions of birds worldwide. The virus has been found in more than 21 mammalian species. These include foxes, skunks, sea lions, minke dolphins, raccoon dogs, seals and rats. It was recently reported that more than 846 cattle herds in the US were affected by the virus, which affected milk supplies in 16 states. Such cases have raised concerns among many medical experts. He has warned that the virus is now getting closer to humans.