Kang Y-M, Heo G-B, An S-H, Lee H, Park E, Cha RM,. Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Virus Infection in Cats, South Korea, 2023. Emerg Infect Dis. 2024 Dec
In July 2023, cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) were reported at 2 shelters for stray cats in Seoul, South Korea. The cause of infection was suspected to be improperly sterilized raw food made from domestic duck meat, which was manufactured in South Korea. All viruses isolated from cats at the shelters and from the raw food belonged to HPAI A(H5N1) clade 2.3.4.4b. The gene constellation of all viruses was most similar to that of viruses isolated in Korea in November 2022. Of note, the viruses isolated from infected cats harbored mutations E627K or D701N in polymerase basic 2, which are indicative of adaptation to mammals. Postmortem examination revealed systemic pathologic lesions and the presence of widespread virus in different tissues. Thus, consumption of raw duck meat contaminated with HPAI virus likely caused systemic symptoms and death in cats, indicating the introduction of mammal-adapted mutations of the virus.
See Also:
Latest articles in those days:
- Determinants of the Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Uptake Among People Aged 50 Years or Above During and After the Pandemic: A Systematic Review 11 hours ago
- [preprint]A GIS-based framework for standardized environmental characterization in One-Health surveillance: a case study of HPAI monitoring in wetlands 11 hours ago
- First detection and transatlantic introduction of Influenza A(H3N2) subclade K (J.2.4.1) into Ecuador: insights from genomic sentinel surveillance 11 hours ago
- Assessment of influenza virus and coronavirus tropism, replication competence and disease severity in ex vivo and in vitro cultures of the human respiratory tract 1 days ago
- Characterization of bovine-derived H5N1 viruses expressing fluorescent and luminescent reporter proteins 1 days ago
[Go Top] [Close Window]


