Cat parents wouldn’t trade their beautiful (and complicated) relationship with their fur baby for anything. But new research has shed light on how domestic cats can be just as dangerous as pigs as one of the biggest zoonotic threats to public health. Read also | Cat Grooming 101: Top 6 Common Cat Diseases and Important Dietary Tips for Prevention
Scientists link domestic cats to public health crisis
A study published recently in the academic journal Taylor and Francis Online found that domestic cats can serve as a bridge that allows H5N1 bird flu to mutate and jump to humans. Domestic cats live in our homes, curled up on couches and beds, providing the opportunity not only to contract human flu strains, but also to spread avian viruses back to humans.
Beware of domestic cats?
The researchers found that cats, like pigs, have cellular receptors that allow them to act as “mixing vessels for avian and mammalian influenza viruses.” They added that “unique mutations” were found in cats that recently died from H5N1 bird flu, suggesting “potential adaptation of the virus.”
While pigs are considered a public health threat because their cells allow viruses to mix and mutate, creating new strains capable of causing a pandemic in humans (which is how the 2008/09 H1N1 swine flu pandemic began), cats may be similar in this sense , according to the researchers of the new study.
They added that cats often interact with humans and other species and therefore may “serve as a bridge for interspecies transmission of H5N1 viruses.” “Continued exposure, viral circulation, and adaptation of H5N1 in cats raise serious transmission and public health concerns,” the study authors note.
Read more about the study
As part of the study, researchers performed postmortems on 10 cats, one of which was a six-month-old kitten that died of H5N1 in South Dakota, USA, after eating the remains of dead birds in April of this year. Samples taken from their brains, lungs and stomachs revealed that their cells had receptors that, like pigs, meant they were susceptible to mammalian and avian forms of flu.
The researchers said: “Infected cats develop systemic infections and spread the virus through the respiratory and digestive tracts, potentially creating multiple routes of exposure to humans… moreover, the ability of the virus to persist and adapt in mammals increases the risk of developing into highly transmissible strains, which creates a new zoonotic threat with profound implications for public health.”
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult your doctor for any health concerns.
