Zoonotic Infections News

The CDC has launched an influenza A wastewater online dashboard to help track the potential spread of H5N1 avian influenza, or “bird flu,” which has caused outbreaks among birds and dairy cows.

PCR-based West Nile virus testing using whole blood was effective and favored compared with plasma testing as an initial test for infection, researchers reported.

Six more dairy cattle herds in the United States have tested positive for avian influenza, bringing the national total to 42 herds, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

H5N1 “bird flu” is widespread among wild birds and has caused sporadic outbreaks among poultry for more than a couple years. A recent outbreak among dairy cow herds in the United States has raised the virus’ profile.

The FDA and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said this week that pasteurized milk and beef products appear safe for consumption based on testing conducted after traces of avian influenza were found in pasteurized milk.

The FDA announced this week that testing has identified genetic traces of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus in pasteurized cow milk samples collected in the United States.

We caught up with Gonzalo Bearman, MD, MPH, at the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America Spring Conference to ask how he got “Hooked on ID.”

Health officials identified a cluster of cases of feline sporotrichosis, as well as zoonotic transmission between one of the infected cats and a veterinary technician at a clinic in Kansas.

The European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases is getting a new name.

Although the CDC says the risk of avian influenza to the public remains low, it is encouraging state health officials to prepare response plans anyway.