Taking a Break from Dairy - Mink H5N1 Virus Transmission in Ferrets Study

Penn State-Emory collaborative study in Nature communications released

A new research report was released overnight in Nature Communications regarding ferret infection and transmission studies of the H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b virus isolated from a farmed mink outbreak in Spain in October of 2022.

Risk assessment of a highly pathogenic H5N1 influenza virus from mink | Nature Communications

This outbreak initially raised concerns because of reports of likely direct mink-to-mink transmission. Michaeal Coston does a good job of putting this work in context in his daily blog found at Avian Flu Diary. As he states, this piece should be read in detail to better understand its many findings in advancing a better understanding of H1N1’s risk for ongoing mammalian transmission, including zoonotic risks.

This mink outbreak “died out” in 2022 in Spain, as have other spillovers to date. However, the natural experiments keep happening; odds favor success for a persistent pliable virus!