Avian flu has infected dairy cows in more than a dozen states – a microbiologist explains how the virus is spreading
- Written by Jenna Guthmiller, Assistant Professor of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Although H5N1 typically infects wild birds, the virus has spilled over into domesticated animal populations, like dairy cows.Peter Cade/Stone via Getty ImagesThe current strain of avian flu, H5N1, is responsible for the culling of millions of domestic birds and has sickened more than a dozen farmworkers in 2024, most recently in Colorado.
The...