Pari H. Baker, etc.,al. [preprint]Pregnant Dairy Heifers Express Influenza A Virus Receptors in the Mammary Gland. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.05.08.652757
Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) virus emerged in lactating dairy cattle in March 2024, causing mastitis-related disease and infections in other farm animals and workers. Recent work identified α2,6 and α2,3-linked sialic acids (SA), which serve as influenza virus receptors, in the lactating bovine mammary gland; however, their distribution across stages of mammary growth and development remains unknown. We compared the distribution of tissue sialylation in mammary glands of prepubertal dairy calves, pregnant dairy heifers, and lactating cows. Mammary glands at all physiological stages expressed both α2,6 SA, the preferred receptor linkage for human influenza viruses, and α2,3 SA, the preferred receptor linkage for avian influenza viruses. Importantly, mammary glands of pregnant dairy heifers exhibited the highest overall expression of α2,3 SA, observed in both tissue and alveolar lumens. Our results suggest that pregnant dairy heifers, like lactating dairy cows, are susceptible to H5N1 infection in the mammary gland.
See Also:
Latest articles in those days:
- Extended influenza seasons in Australia and New Zealand in 2025 due to the emergence of influenza A(H3N2) subclade K viruses 6 hours ago
- Dynamic ensemble deep learning with multi-source data for robust influenza forecasting in Yangzhou 6 hours ago
- Structural and immunological characterization of the H3 influenza hemagglutinin during antigenic drift 6 hours ago
- Novel Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Virus, Argentina, 2025 9 hours ago
- Avian influenza overview September - November 2025 1 days ago
[Go Top] [Close Window]


