First bird flu, now this.
Screengrab: Science, 2/19/2026
Jon Cohen reports:
Of the four known types of influenza, A is humanity’s biggest problem. Spreading easily through the air, it causes annual epidemics that kill tens of thousands. It also infects many other animal species, and different strains of A can swap genetic material to create “reassortants” that are new to our immune systems and trigger pandemics. An influenza A subtype known as H5N1 has been devastating poultry and wild bird populations for the past 30 years and is widely feared to have pandemic potential.
Influenza D virus, known in shorthand as IDV or flu D, has several of the worrisome features of influenza A: It occurs around the world, infects multiple species, and is fond of reassorting. “It is demonstrating all the hallmarks of an emerging pathogen for both animals and humans,” says virologist Suresh Kuchipudi, who studies IDV at the University of Pittsburgh.
Cattle are IDV’s main reservoir, and it sickens them, too, contributing to bovine respiratory disease complex (BRDC), also known as shipping disease, a common and costly malady caused by a mix of viruses and bacteria. “It may very well explain some of that huge problem,” says Gray, who met with a U.S. farmer who said in some months he lost 10% of his calves to BRDC.
No comments:
Post a Comment