Baker PH, Glendenning LM, Oliveira MXS, Cobb BA, E. Distribution of sialic acids in the bovine mammary gland across different physiological states. J Dairy Sci. 2025 Nov 27:S0022-0302(25)00977-4
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 (SIA), 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 sialylation in mammary glands of prepubertal dairy calves, primigravid dairy heifers, and lactating cows. Mammary glands at all physiological stages displayed both α2,6 SIA, the preferred receptor linkage for human influenza viruses, and α2,3 SIA, the preferred receptor linkage for avian influenza viruses. Importantly, in mammary glands of pregnant dairy heifers, α2,3 SIA was most abundant, distributed in both mammary tissue and alveolar lumens. Our results indicate that the mammary glands of pregnant dairy heifers, like those of lactating dairy cows, display receptors that could support H5N1 binding and entry. Further studies are needed to determine whether developing mammary glands can be a site of influenza virus replication.
See Also:
Latest articles in those days:
- High-throughput pseudovirus neutralisation maps the antigenic landscape of influenza A/H1N1 viruses 4 hours ago
- Timely vaccine strain selection and genomic surveillance improve evolutionary forecast accuracy of seasonal influenza A/H3N2 4 hours ago
- Evaluation of a Novel Data Source for National Influenza Surveillance: Influenza Hospitalization Data in the National Healthcare Safety Network, United States, September 2021-April 2024 4 hours ago
- Scenarios for pre-pandemic zoonotic influenza preparedness and response 4 hours ago
- Stability of Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Virus in Milk from Infected Cows and Virus-Spiked Milk 1 days ago
[Go Top] [Close Window]


