This article Reprinted from conversation Under Creative Commons License.
Recent bird flu outbreaks — US Dairy Herd, Australian chicken farmand more. Isolated cases In humans— raised food safety issues.
So can the virus be transmitted from infected livestock to milk, meat or eggs? How likely is this to happen? And what do you need to consider when shopping for and preparing food to minimise the risk?
How safe is milk?
Avian influenza is a disease of birds caused by a specific type of influenza virus, but this virus can also infect cattle. In the United StatesTo date, more than 80 dairy cows in at least nine states have been infected with the H5N1 virus.
The survey in progress Research is being carried out to confirm how this happened, but we do know that infected birds can shed the virus in their saliva, nasal secretions and excrement, so avian influenza can contaminate foods of animal origin during processing and manufacturing.
In fact, fragments of the genetic material (RNA) of bird flu milk From related dairy herds Infected US farmers.
But it was only when avian influenza spread among cattle, and possibly to humans, that it spread. Contaminated milking equipmentIt’s not milk itself.
The test used to detect the virus in milk uses PCR technology similar to laboratory COVID-19 tests and is highly sensitive – meaning it can detect very low levels of avian flu RNA. However, the test cannot distinguish between live and inactivated virus, only whether RNA is present. Therefore, the test alone cannot determine whether the virus found in milk is infectious (and can infect humans).
So does this mean that milk is safe to drink and does not transmit bird flu? Yes and no.
In Australia, there have been no reported cases of avian influenza in dairy cows, so the answer is yes, Australian milk and dairy products are safe to drink. In the United States, the answer depends on whether milk is safe. PasteurizationPasteurization has proven to be a common and reliable method of destroying problematic microorganisms, including influenza viruses. Like most viruses, influenza viruses (including avian influenza viruses) are inactivated by heat.
There is little direct research into whether pasteurization can inactivate H5N1 in milk, but this can be inferred from knowledge of heat inactivation of H5N1 in milk. chicken and eggWe can therefore be confident that there is no risk of avian influenza transmission through pasteurized milk or dairy products.
But unpasteurized, or “raw,” U.S. milk and dairy products are a different story. study Mice fed raw milk contaminated with avian flu have been shown to show signs of illness, so it’s best to avoid raw dairy products to be on the safe side.
Would you like some chicken?
Avian influenza has caused sporadic outbreaks in wild and domestic birds around the world. In AustraliaIn the past few weeks, Three cases were reported in Victorian chicken farm (2 cases of H7N3 avian influenza and 1 case of H7N9). One Reported Outbreaks Western Australia (H9N2).
The strain of avian influenza that has emerged in Victoria and Western Australia is capable of causing human infections, rare It usually occurs through close contact with live infected birds. Polluted environmentTherefore, the possibility of avian influenza being transmitted through chicken is low.
