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General Discussion / Re: Untamed Virus Containment Thread:COVID-19: Lurking Omni-Flu Edition
« on: May 12, 2024, 03:47:35 pm »
The avian and human influenza A virus receptors sialic acid (SA)-α2,3 and SA-α2,6 are widely expressed in the bovine mammary gland
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These results provide a mechanistic rationale for the high levels of H5N1 virus reported in infected bovine milk and show cattle have the potential to act as a mixing vessel for novel IAV generation.However,
Quote from: https://c.im/@kakape@mas.to/112429156972222799
Most researchers I've talked to are pretty skeptical of this idea, however. For the udder to function as a mixing vessel, you would have to have the same cells infected by H5N1 and a human flu virus. As far as we can tell that is highly unlikely.
Even Richard Webby, one of the preprint's authors, agreed with this when I talked to him. “The possibility is there, but you’re dead right, it’s a pretty rare occurrence, I'd think, even this outbreak.”