Human Influenza A antibodies have been detected in U.S. cattle

So what! This has probably been going on since humans started to domesticate wild animals.

It is actually surprising why this was not detected years ago? Lack of analysis capabilities?

No mentioning of any dangers or concerns regarding the consumption of meat or milk so far it seems.

"Influenza A antibodies have been detected in U.S. cattle, finds a large study published in the Journal of Virology—showing that cattle are susceptible to human seasonal flu strains as well as swine influenza viruses. CIDRAP ..."

"... Yesterday marked 1 year since H5N1 avian flu was first confirmed in dairy cattle, which occurred in a herd from Texas.

The new study is part of an effort to flesh out the extent of previous influenza A infection in cattle. Until the H5N1 outbreak in US dairy cows, cattle weren’t typically considered a natural host of influenza A viruses. ..."

From the abstract:

"Unexpected outbreaks caused by the H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) in dairy cows in the United States (US) have raised significant veterinary and public health concerns. When and how the H5N1 HPAIV was introduced into dairy cows and the broader epidemiology of influenza A virus (IAV) infections in cattle in the US remain unclear.

Herein, we performed a retrospective study to screen more than 1,700 cattle serum samples collected from different bovine breeds in the US from January 2023 to May 2024 using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) targeting the nucleoprotein (NP) to detect IAV infections, and the positive samples were further tested by hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assay.

Results showed that 586 of 1,724 samples (33.99%) from 15 US states were seropositive by the NP ELISA assay, including 78 samples collected in 2024 and 508 samples collected in 2023. Moreover, the HI assay revealed that 45 of these ELISA-positive samples were positive to human seasonal H1N1 and H3N2 and swine H3N2 and H1N2 viruses, and some were positive to two or three tested IAVs. Surprisingly, none of these ELISA-positive samples were HI positive for the circulating bovine H5N1 strain. Our results demonstrate that IAVs other than H5N1 can infect cattle, infections are not limited to dairy cows, and that bovine infections with swine and human IAVs have occurred prior to the H5N1 outbreaks.

All results highlight the value in monitoring IAV epidemiology in cattle, as the viruses might adapt to cattle and/or reassort with the currently circulating H5N1 HPAIV, increasing risk to humans."

Global Health NOW: Gutting the Global Vaccine Effort; PEPFAR’s Precarious Future; and The Dog Days of Cinema

Study finds influenza A antibodies not uncommon in US cattle

Detection of antibodies against influenza A viruses in cattle (open access)

Easy EKG for a chimpanzee

In case you ever wondered how to monitor the health of a monkey!

Easy EKG for a chimpanzee | Hub Engineering students design monkey bar to monitor primates' heart health for Maryland Zoo

Auf Stallvisite mit einer Grosstierärztin in der Schweiz

Auf der Alm ist immer was los!

"Caroline Grunners Telefon läutet meist in dem Moment, in dem sie gerade eine wunde Klaue abfräst oder eine Geiss auf der Weide mit einem Lasso einfängt. Sie ist eine von vielen Tierärztinnen, die Tag für Tag von Hof zu Hof fahren. Wie in kaum einem anderen Beruf haben die Frauen in der Tiermedizin die Männer abgelöst. Bei ihren Hofbesuchen bringen sie viel Idealismus mit. ..."

Tierärztinnen unter Bauern: die Feminisierung eines Berufs  Warum sie lieber Kühe heilen als Katzen töten: was Tierärztinnen bei ihrer Arbeit auf dem Land erleben. Heute kommen die Frauen zu den Bauern. Sie bringen viel Idealismus mit. Das bringt sie manchmal an Grenzen. Auf Stallvisite mit einer Grosstierärztin.

Futile veterinary care for pets in the U.S. is widespread, study finds

Something to ponder about! About 50% or more of all U.S. households have an animal companion (Source).

"When faced with terminal illness in their pets, some owners would do anything to prolong their lives.

More than 99% of 474 veterinarians surveyed said they’d encountered useless or nonbeneficial veterinary care in their careers, according to a new Cornell-led study that documents the prevalence of futile care for the first time. ...
The study, co-authored by researchers at Harvard Medical School’s Center for Bioethics, also found that 89% of veterinarians said they had administered futile care, and 42% said it occurs frequently, more than six times per year. ..."

From the abstract:

"OBJECTIVE

To document veterinarians’ perceptions and understanding of medical futility and determine the frequency with which medical futility occurs in small animal practice.

SAMPLE

477 veterinarians in small animal general and specialty veterinary practice.

PROCEDURES

A cross-sectional study was performed with a 25-question, web-based, confidential, anonymous survey distributed through various professional veterinary specialty associations.

RESULTS

Nearly all respondents (469/474 [99.0%]) believed that futile care occurs in veterinary medicine, and 42.4% (201/474) felt it occurred commonly (> 6 times/y). A similar percentage (471/475 [99.2%]) reported encountering futile care within their careers, and 85.0% (402/476) reported encountering it within the past year. A majority (293/477 [61.4%]) reported witnessing futile care occurring in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Most respondents disagreed or strongly disagreed (320/463 [69.1%]) with a statement that providing futile care is always wrong, and only 38 (8.2%) agreed or strongly agreed. Over 70% (329/464 [70.9%]) of respondents agreed that there are situations in which provision of futile care is appropriate.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

The importance of reaching a consensus definition for medical futility in veterinary medicine is evident given the frequency with which such care is being provided. Most small animal specialist veterinarians will encounter futile care, and the establishment of an ethical framework to navigate questions surrounding medical futility may help reduce moral distress."

Futile veterinary care is widespread, study finds | Cornell Chronicle

Medical futility is commonly encountered in small animal clinical practice (no public access)

Why Is Veterinary Healthcare So Much Better Than Human Health Care?

Posted: 3/26/2018  Updated: 11/30/2019

Update Of 11/30/2019

Recently (11/16/2019), the MIT Technology Review has dedicated an entire Weekend Reads edition to cover how medical research and treatments for dogs are advancing human medical treatment.

Here is a selection of articles recommended in this newsletter:

1. “Sick dogs could be key to unlocking mysteries of immunotherapy. People and dogs share some cancer-causing genetic mutations. Now the government is funding an effort to learn from that”
2. “Pet cloning is bringing human cloning a little bit closer People are copying pets to preserve a physical, and spiritual connection to dead children.”
3. “A stealthy Harvard startup wants to reverse aging in dogs, and humans could be next Biologist George Church says the idea is to live to 130 in the body of a 22-year-old.”

Why Is It Sometimes Better To Be A Pet Than A Human?

A hyperbolic question, but …

Short answer: Excessive government intervention and control is severely and mostly negatively affecting the health care systems in many Western countries. Unlike veterinary health care, where government regulation and control is fairly lenient compared to human health care. The medical profession has an outsize influence on government to the disadvantage of patients.

Advantages Of Veterinary Healthcare

Benefits of veterinary healthcare compared to human healthcare:

1. Pet owners are self payers. They are accountable and responsible for all costs incurred
2. Private veterinary health care insurance has evolved to serve the needs of pet owners
3. Medical diagnostic and treatment advances in veterinary health care were improving and progressing at higher speed
4. Possibly, medical advances in veterinary medicine have already or will soon feedback into human health care

Trigger

Just read this article https://fee.org/articles/economic-progress-benefits-all-natures-creatures-including-our-pets/