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Two " exclusively indoor " cats from two disjoined menage in Michigan get H5N1 bird flu and at long last died , according to a unexampled report . The sheath nurture the possibility that people in the cats ' house passed the virus on to their darling , but a deficiency of information somewhat muddies the picture .
The cases are described in a newMorbidity and Mortality Weekly Report(MMWR ) published Thursday ( Feb. 20 ) . Several authors on the paper are scientist affiliate with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) , while the rest are associated with Michigan health and farming authority or university .
Two indoors cats in Michigan caught bird flu in 2024, a new report details.
H5N1 has long been knownto nauseate both wild anddomestic cats , and it can cause serious symptoms in the beast , including neurological problems , and chair to death . Since May 2022 , the U.S. Department of Agriculture hasrecorded dozens of H5N1 infectionsin wild and domesticated felid across the country . There have also been recent paper of pet cats catching bird flufrom contaminated new pet food for thought products .
" Previously , there have been report of outdoor Caterpillar associated with U.S. dairy farm who have been infected with the highly morbific avian flu A(H5N1 ) computer virus and subsequently died , " a CDC spokesperson told Live Science in an email . " This is the first documented case of reported indoor only domestic cats with H5N1 to appointment . "
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What ’s more , the two feign cats " did not consumeunpasteurized [ raw ] milk , " the interpreter tell .
In the first of the two late cat sheath , a household with three indoor Arabian tea run across one of its felines get sick in May 2024 . That cat , a 5 - year - old female , ab initio started bear witness a lack of appetence , as well as lethargy and disorientation . The guy was brought to a local vet and then the Michigan State University ( MSU ) Veterinary Medical Center , which has advanced treatments available . But due to " speedy disease advance , " the cat was euthanized .
Bird flu hadbeen reported on some Michigan dairy farmsby that clock time , and the cat ’s owner worked on a dairy farm , although not direct with the animal . The sick African tea ’s eubstance was submitted for further examination after euthanization , and swab from the CT ’s brain and nose came back confirming for H5N1 . The computer virus samples from the cat matched the viruses circulating in local cattle .
This discovery remind a broader investigating , in which officials notice that another indoor cat in the household developed likely raspberry influenza symptoms after the first cat-o’-nine-tails did . These symptom included decreased appetite and weak heart electric arc , but the cat ultimately recover without specific treatment . No specimens from the second cat were tested for H5N1 , but the timing of illness may point to potential transmittal .
Although the dairy worker declined to be tested for snort flu , they did report experiencing vomiting and diarrhea a day before the first African tea have unbalanced . The three other members of the worker ’s household quiz disconfirming for influenza A , the broad group of computer virus H5N1 belong to .
Complicating the picture , one person in the household — a teenager who ’d had " regular striking " with the nauseous CT — got sick about six days after the cat did . Their symptoms include cough , sore throat , worry and muscle pine . However , the stripling tested disconfirming for flu and rather came back incontrovertible on a test that looks for other common virus , such as common - cold virus . So while the timing of the adolescent ’s transmission could be distressful , base on these test results , it appear that the soul had a persist - of - the - mill respiratory illness .
Around the same time frame in a different Michigan household , a second indoor qat came down with bird flu .
A 6 - month - old male , that African tea was also an alone indoor ducky . The possessor bring the cat into the MSU clinic after it show one day of " progressive neurologic decline in quality , " facial lump and finish eating . The quat died within 24 60 minutes of these symptom emerging . Nasal swabs from the computed axial tomography were positive for H5N1 .
The cat ’s owner , a dairy farm worker who transport unpasteurized ( raw ) Milk River from various farm , declined testing for bird flu . The worker had a " fear of fall behind employment as a consequence of communicate with public health functionary and implicating farms that offer Milk River , " the MMWR mark . However , the prole did report having renowned eye irritation two twenty-four hour period before the computed axial tomography got sick . ( Recent H5N1 infections in humans haveoften involved eye symptom , namely pinkeye . )
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The worker also reported having not worn protective equipment when handling rude milk and oftentimes experiencing " splashing exposure " to the face , center and clothing while working . The cat that got infected and died frequently roam in the possessor ’s dress , whereas a second cat in the household that did n’t get sick did not exhibit that behavior .
" Because neither dairy worker pick up examination for A(H5 ) , whether cat 1A ’s possessor ’s gastrointestinal symptoms or cat 2A ’s owner ’s ocular symptoms were because of HPAI A(H5N1 ) virus infection or a dissimilar aetiology [ cause ] is unknown , " the MMWR pronounce .
" It would have been ideal to have all household members test for H5N1 , " the CDC interpreter told Live Science . " But obtaining the symptom of all menage members and testing of some was remarkable . "
Notably , a data mesa included in the new MMWR was really published earlier in the month , The New York Times reportedFeb . 6 . This seems to have been accidental , as the table was readily drive down .
" A information mesa from this MMWR subject area was inadvertently post online , and it was swiftly remove , " the CDC interpreter confirm to Live skill
According to the Times report , in former February , the data tabular array had briefly appeared in a reputation that otherwise concentrate on air caliber and theLos Angeles County wildfires , the Times reported . Prior to the wildfire study ’s dismission , apause had been place on international communications from federal health office , including the CDC ’s MMWR , which had been published every week for 10 . At the time , experts expressed concern that the information were potentially being withheld for political purposes .
This article is for informational determination only and is not meant to offer medical or veterinary advice .
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