Latest news with #MRC-UniversityofGlasgowCentreforVirusResearch
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
H5N1 bird flu ‘capable of airborne transmission'
H5N1 bird flu is capable of spreading through the air, a new animal study from the US Centres for Disease Control (CDC) has found. H5N1 was believed to spread primarily through direct contact with infected animals or their bodily fluids, but the new findings suggest it can also be transmitted through respiratory droplets and aerosol, raising concerns about its ability to cause a future pandemic. The study, published in Emerging Infectious Diseases, was based on a sample of H5N1 extracted from a dairy worker in Michigan who contracted the virus last year. The CDC scientists then used this sample to infect a group of ferrets, which are considered a 'gold standard' in flu research due to the similarity between their respiratory system and that of human. The infected animals were placed in close proximity to six other healthy ferrets and observed for three weeks. Within 21 days, three of the previously uninfected ferrets had contracted H5N1 – without any direct physical contact – indicating that the virus can travel through the air through a 'respiratory droplet transmission model'. The researchers also collected aerosol samples from the air surrounding the ferrets, and found infectious virus and viral RNA to be present, indicating that H5N1 can, like Covid-19, be transmitted through both respiratory droplets and aerosols – smaller particles that can travel longer distances and remain suspended in the air for extended periods. Respiratory droplets, on the other hand, are larger and do not travel as far in the air, requiring closer contact with an infected person for transmission. Since 2024, at least 70 people in the US have been infected with H5N1, the majority of them workers on poultry or dairy farms where the virus was present. Bird flu has spread to more than 1,000 dairy farms across the country over the past year and is now endemic among US cattle. 'This study is important as it provides yet more evidence that the H5N1 influenza virus that is circulating in dairy cattle in the USA is, in principle, capable of respiratory transmission,' Prof Ed Hutchinson, Professor of Molecular and Cellular Virology, MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research told The Telegraph. '[The study] does this using experimental animals that experience and transmit influenza in similar ways to humans, so it warns us of what the virus could do in humans under the right circumstances,' Prof Hutchinson added. The study's authors warned that their findings underline the 'ongoing threat to public health' H5N1 poses, emphasising the need for 'continual surveillance and risk assessment… to prepare for the next influenza pandemic'. Most human cases reported in the US so far have resulted from direct physical contact with sick animals or their fluids, including cow's milk. But experts have warned that, as H5N1 continues to infect animal populations and 'jump' to humans, it is only a matter of time before the virus undergoes the mutations necessary to spread effectively from person to person. 'Because avian H5N1 viruses cross the species barrier and adapt to dairy cattle, each associated human infection presents further opportunity for mammal adaptation,' the study's authors said. Protect yourself and your family by learning more about Global Health Security Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
STV News
01-05-2025
- Health
- STV News
Mosquitoes discovered as far north as Shetland in Scotland-wide study
As the Scottish summer draws closer many will be dreading the return of midges, however, research has found mosquitoes are reaching as far north as Shetland. It comes after members of the public were urged to share images of mosquitoes and bites in May 2024 as part of a project by scientists at the University of Glasgow. Sightings of mosquitoes were sent to the Mosquito Scotland team every month in the last year, with reports peaking in the spring and summer, but also continuing in cooler months right up to December. Mosquito Scotland is a collaborative project between the University of Glasgow, the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research (CVR), the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH). Martin Shields University of Glasgow researchers launching a citizen science tool to research mosquitos in Scotland. From L to R Dr Georgia Kirby and PhD student Meshach Lee with the mosquito trap. The team received over 700 reports of mosquitoes from across Scotland, including from Dumfries and Galloway to the Shetland Isles. The sighting in Shetland became the northernmost recording of the insect in the UK. While most of the 21 different mosquito species present in Scotland don't bite people, the study found that several species can be source of nuisance biting, indicating that human exposure to the insects is higher across the country than is commonly thought. Mosquitoes are a natural part of Scottish ecosystems, and the study is aiming to understand their biodiversity and role in it. It comes after researchers at the University of Glasgow said last year that mosquitoes found in Scotland could pose a future risk of spreading disease. Mosquitoes are known to carry diseases, with the World Health Organization (WHO) estimating that about 219 million people contract malaria from the insects each year globally, resulting in 400,000 deaths. Although mosquitoes do not currently pose any infectious disease risk to humans in Scotland, their bites can cause itching, discomfort and local swelling. The research team want to raise awareness that people can be exposed to mosquito bites in Scotland, and provide guidance on simple precautions to prevent this. Dr Georgia Kirby, the researcher running the citizen science survey, said there were several areas of Scotland where there were lots of reports of bites but very few photos of the culprits. 'We had suspected that midges or clegs could be responsible, but in our follow-up investigations we invariably found that these locations were swarming with mosquitoes – proving that people in Scotland are good at recognising them and distinguishing them from more familiar insects,' she said. 'Most of these sites were areas of dense woodland, which is a key habitat for several aggressive human-biting mosquito species.' Professor Dominic Mellor, consultant in Veterinary Public Health at Public Health Scotland, said the project is playing a 'vital role' in understanding the species. 'In particular, the citizen science aspects are providing detailed information, previously lacking, about the presence and diversity of mosquito species that are being found across Scotland,' he added. 'Such information is invaluable in helping us understand and prepare appropriately for potential risks to public health that might arise as a result of climate change.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
