EAST
LANSING, Mich. —
New research from Michigan State University will study the effects of a recent
highly pathogenic avian influenza A virus (H5N1) outbreak on dairy cattle
reproduction and milk production, as well as transmission of the disease and
ways to mitigate it.
Support for the new project has been
provided through two sources, each covering half of the $168,000 total:
·
Annual capacity funding through MSU
AgBioResearch from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National
Institute of Food and Agriculture.
·
Capacity funding through the
Michigan Alliance for Animal Agriculture, a partnership among MSU, Michigan
animal agriculture industries and the Michigan Department of Agriculture and
Rural Development (MDARD).
The project is co-led by Catalina
Picasso, Zelmar Rodriguez and Annette O’Connor, faculty members in the
College of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences
(LCS). Picasso is a veterinarian and epidemiologist, specializing in
transboundary infectious diseases in both livestock and wildlife animal
populations. Rodriguez is a dairy health epidemiologist and dairy extension
faculty member. O’Connor is a world-renowned veterinarian and expert in the
application of quantitative epidemiology to improve policy on food safety,
animal health and welfare, and veterinary practices.
According to the USDA, as of mid-May,
H5N1 infections have been detected in dozens of dairy herds across Colorado,
Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, South Dakota, and
Texas. The virus, which was first detected in domestic birds in the U.S. in
2022 but not until recently in cattle, has been identified in unpasteurized
milk, as well as swabs and tissue samples from sick cattle.
Symptoms may include reduced milk
production, decreased appetite, and changes in milk color and consistency.
“Immediately upon the onset of the H5N1
outbreak in Michigan dairy cattle, MSU AgBioResearch, the College of Veterinary
Medicine and MDARD began conversations about research questions that when
answered could inform policy and management strategies to help prevent
transmission within and across dairy herds,” said James Averill, assistant
director of MSU AgBioResearch and leader of the organization’s animal
agriculture initiatives. “This research will enable the dairy industry to
better understand H5N1 and the impacts on dairy herds over time.”
The research team will seek to answer
several key questions, such as:
·
Impact: What are the short- and
long-term effects of the disease on reproduction and milk production?
·
At the herd level: What factors
influence the likelihood of herds becoming infected?
·
At the cow level: What increases or
decreases the likelihood of cows becoming infected?
·
Transmission: How is the virus
spreading within and between herds?
“There’s still an enormous amount of
information we don’t know,” O’Connor said. “This outbreak underscored the
critical need to understand the dynamics, impact and prevention of H5N1 among
the cattle population. We are fortunate to be able to ground this research in
on-farm studies, working closely with MDARD to access farms that have had herds
test positive for the virus.”
The team plans to conduct five studies
on farms with H5N1-positive animals. They will study lactating cows, dry cows
and calves, collecting blood, nasal swabs and milk samples to be tested. All
H5N1 testing is being performed by the MSU Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory,
the only laboratory in Michigan approved by the USDA to test for highly
pathogenic avian influenza in any species.
Additionally, researchers will examine
milking equipment for H5N1 presence and compare testing accuracy between pooled
and individual samples.
Data from Michigan farms will be
combined with findings from other universities nationwide for a comprehensive
analysis.
“We’re trying to understand how long
animals are shedding the virus and how long the virus stays active,” O’Connor
said. “For example, if we were to find that cattle are often positive on nasal
swabs, we might conclude that nose-to-nose contact is a common route of
transmission. Likewise, we may see that some samples come back negative quite
often and show that those routes are much less likely. The overall goal is to
equip our producers with the information needed to make informed decisions on
how to best protect their cattle, and by extension, animal safety more
broadly.”