Untreated milk from bird flu infected cows poses a risk if consumed

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2024-05-25 00:01

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Untreated milk from cows infected with the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu virus can infect susceptible animals that consume it, according to US research. When mice were fed the untreated milk from infected cows they showed signs of illness from the first day, and the virus was detected in their respiratory systems and other organs of their bodies. The study found that the virus can remain infectious for several weeks in raw milk kept at 4°C, and while heat inactivation under laboratory conditions was able to reduce the amount of virus in the milk it did not completely inactivate the virus.